6477. Dean Lane skate park (771)

Rusk and Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024
Rusk and Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024

Getting into full swing with Halloween-related pieces, I bring you this magnificent collaboration from two great graffiti writers, Rusk and Elvs. Neither of these artists seem to be quite as productive as they have been in the past, but their presence is always good news, because of the quality of their work.

Rusk, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024
Rusk, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024

Dark colours, predominantly purples and blues, are the order of the day, or should I say night. Rusk has opted for a combination piece including both graffiti writing and a little cartoon Count Dracula character. The letters are clear and obvious and given emphasis with a layered 3D drop shadow. The character is a fabulous accompaniment and I wonder why Rusk doesn’t do more character pieces than he does. The piece is set on a spooky haunted house style background, which stretches across both pieces.

Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024
Elvs, Dean Lane skate park, Bristol, October 2024

To the right is a sensational piece by Elvs, whose work is utterly unique. Watching Elvs paint his pieces is fascinating because he starts with the fill shape, and then adds in all the borders and detail, bringing the letters ‘ELVS’ to life. The colour choices are amazing and work superbly well, that green drop shadow doing a great job. A wonderful spooky collaboration.

6378. M32 Roundabout J3 (623)

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020

This is the last archive round up for the time being, and a few wonderful pieces of graffiti writing  that missed the boat back in March 2020, just around the time of the first Covid lockdown in England – what strange times those were. First up is this fabulous STICK piece by Corupt, complete with ‘panels’ and ‘rivets’.

Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020

Another piece by the same artist, this time using his KORUPT letters. In this chrome lettering, there is more than immediately meets the eye, with some patterning in the fills, with two very subtle colour variants. Nicely done.

Trafficity, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Trafficity, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020

It is always great to find Trafficity pieces, but to find an unpublished picture in my archive is extra rewarding. The letters ZIOM are filled with chrome, but unlike Corupt’s piece above, the patterning in this one is created by the piece beneath coming through (I think). Unusually, Trafficity has gone with a single tone, when I am more accustomed to seeing two or three horizontal colours through the piece.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020

It is very unlike me not to post Rusk pieces as and when I find them, so this one from the archive is a rare gem. Great graded fill, nice orange border and green drop shadow… what’s not to like?

Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020
Phour, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2020

Rounding off this selection of ‘lost’ pieces from March 2020 is this bright and cheerful piece by Phour, whose writing is consistently neat and tidy. He has gone with some interesting colour choices in the fill, which work really well and feel quite joyful.

That’s it from the archive for a while. Back to normal with my next post.

6259. M32 roundabout J3 (610)

Rusk, Ulow and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024
Rusk, Ulow and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024

At first glance, this piece might look like a collaboration between Rusk and Ulow, but regular readers will have seen the figure (by Ulow) on the right before in a collaboration with Hypo a short while ago. What has happened here is Rusk has gone over Hypo’s piece, but worked carefully to retain the Ulow character. It is rather nice to see Corupt getting in on the act too, with a nicely delineated piece sitting atop the others.

Rusk, Ulow and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024
Rusk, Ulow and Corupt, M32 roundabout, Bristol, July 2024

Rusk, who has written RUSKY, has produced a banging piece of graffiti writing. It looks like there are five horizontal colour transitions in the letter fills, with some tidy lines in white and brown breaking things up a little. A tried and tested 3D drop shadow with ‘glowing’ yellow spheres dotted around the place lift the letters nicely. This is a nice and tidy piece from Rusk.

Hypo and Ulow, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024
Hypo and Ulow, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2024

6232. Cumberland Basin

Rusk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
Rusk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

Rusk is an established graffiti writer in Bristol who tends to paint in fits and starts these days. He is currently going through a rather productive phase at the moment, which is great news indeed. This piece in Cumberland Basin was created during a paint jam organised by Smak and the Art of Sok, a couple of weeks back.

Rusk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024
Rusk, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2024

The general colours of the collaborative wall were light blues and yellows, and Rusk certainly stuck to the task with this tight piece. Rusk is known for his dedication and diligence and his work is always beautifully turned out. The highlight of this piece for me is the purple thread that runs horizontally through all of the letters. A fine example of on-point graffiti writing.

5946. Brunel Way (267

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

It has been great to see Rusk ticking over nicely so far this year with his outstanding writing and conscientious approach to his work. He has cleverly and sensitively incorporated a piece of Dibz/Fade work into this piece; the teenage mutant ninja turtle.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, March 2024

Rusk has been working on this ribbon writing style for a little while now, and it is really effective having an anamorphic aspect to it. While the ribbon letters are great, I am, unusually, not totally convinced by the purple and white underlines, they simply don’t quite work for me – perhaps I am being a little picky. Overall though I am judging Rusk by his own very high standards and this remains an excellent piece.

5924. M32 roundabout J3 (562)

Elvs and Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024
Elvs and Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024

This is a wonderful collaboration from two brilliant artists, Elvs and Rusk. I’m not sure I have seen these two painting together since Upfest 22, so this came as a very nice surprise indeed. Elvs has had quite a quiet year painting in Bristol and I would like to think (hope) that this piece signals a few more visits for 2024. Elvs’ writing is so incredibly unique and recognisable – I don’t think that I know of anyone that writes large block letters etched out with thin black lines in this way. Fine writing.

Elvs and Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024
Elvs and Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2024

I would say that Rusk is better known for his writing or writing/character combination pieces, so this ghetto blaster hip-hop character is something of a rarity. The old-school style character has all the hallmarks of street art/hip hop culture and Rusk carries it off brilliantly. A rather nice silhouette of an urban skyline polished the collaboration off nicely. Great collaboration.

5824. L Dub (53)

Rusk, L Dub, Bristol, January 2024
Rusk, L Dub, Bristol, January 2024

It is always a great pleasure to find any writing by Rusk, and this relatively simple piece in the tunnel under the M5 at L Dub came as a nice surprise. There is a nice shout-out to DJ Perks, whose work dominates this spot, and I am guessing that they painted together on this occasion.

Rusk, L Dub, Bristol, January 2024
Rusk, L Dub, Bristol, January 2024

The bubble style writing is nicely filled with graded browns and a red base. Unfortunately the red paint is a little thin and looks a little patchy. What stands out for me though is the way the little white spots at the tops of the letters, create an incredible 3D effect helping the letters to pop out from the wall. Classy work from Rusk as always.

Urban wasteland, Lawrence Weston, January 2024
Urban wasteland, Lawrence Weston, January 2024

It would seem that Rusk took a moment out to leave his mark nearby, too.

5762. Brunel Way (251)

Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Shade One and Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

This is one of the last pieces I photographed in 2023, and what a belter of a collaboration it is, bringing together the outstanding skills of Dibz, Shade One and Rusk. As always, the light under Brunel Way rarely allows photographs to do the street/grafitti art pieces justice, but I think that it is possible to see what a classy collaboration this one is.

Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Dibz, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the left is some superb writing from Dibz, which is a tribute piece to a supporter of his work, ‘Marie’. What this piece of graffiti writing shows is that you can give Dibz any number or combination of letters, and he will be able to create something beautiful with them. The pink and black drop shadow against the gold letters works so very well.

Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Shade One, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

Shade One’s work is really something special, and this portrait piece of a young person wearing a hoodie and baseball cap set against the moon and silhouetted buildings, is exceptional. The portrait is painted in greyscale, and although there is a lack of colour, it doesn’t matter one jot, because the shade and shadows provide perfect depth and texture. A very fine piece indeed.

Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023
Rusk, Brunel Way, Bristol, December 2023

On the right, Rusk, who is often found painting alongside Shade One, has created some gorgeous letters spelling RUSK, reflecting the gold and pink colours seen in Dibz’ piece. By using two tones of gold  (bronze/brown) transitioning horizontally through the letters, it gives the illusion that the letters are a solid bar being tilted and catching the light in different ways. A tight and classy piece and collaboration.

5690. M32 Spot (177)

T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex and Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

One of the unwritten rules of photographing street art is always take pictures when you can, even if street furniture is in the way, because if you wait the piece might not still be there at all when you return. It is annoying that there is an obstruction in front of Rusk’s piece in this collaboration with T-Rex, but that is the reality, and it is the best picture I have.

T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
T-Rex, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

T-Rex has been able to get out a fair bit this autumn, which is really great to see as moments will be limited with a little one to look after. Everything that T-Rex does so well is here to feast on, great letters, fabulous fills, a funky drop shadow in pink and black and of course the Tyrannosaurus Rex character. Lovely work.

Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2023

Rusk has been so busy lately, in fact I can’t remember a time when he has been out painting so regularly. As precise as ever, this piece has a distinctive mid line running horizontally through the letters, with little flashes of white along it giving the impression of a shiny flat metallic surface, clever stuff. Great to see these two out painting together.

5663. M32 roundabout J3 (528)

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

By the time you read this, I will be in Birmingham for a greater team gathering, the first since Covid19 first struck, and long overdue. I will be (I am writing this last night) arriving 45 minutes early and will try to sniff out some street art in the Birmingham New Street area (if there is any – I know there is tons in the city, but I just don’t know where. Keeping my fingers crossed. This is a belter from Rusk, who makes his second appearance in as many days.

Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023
Rusk, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2023

I would describe this piece as being funky, it reminds me of the rather carefree 1970s, when fashion and style took a monumental dive, which we can only now really appreciate through rose-tinted spectacles. Pulsating with colour and flashes, there is a lot of disco movement in the letters RUSK. Of course the whole thing is finished perfectly and a complete banger.