Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
Some collaborations are so good they simply ooze class, and any observer would be able to notice that something a little bit special is happening here. Rusk and Shade One have paired up once again in Dean Lane to give us this fabulous treat.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
The writing from Rusk is beautifully proportioned and finished to his usual very high standards. The purple drop shadow works spectacularly well with the green/grey letters. Two stand out details are the white shine running horizontally through the piece and the yellow stripes on some of the letters. Utterly outstanding.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, October 2023
The portrait piece by Shade One on the right is, I think, a tribute piece to Shimz. The wonderful attention to detail and extraordinary capture mark Shade One as the best photorealistic artist in Bristol right now, and how different his style is from only a couple of years ago, when his characters were more cartoony. This is simply brilliant, and the combination with Rusk is a real worldie in my mind.
This is the second piece I am posting from an outstanding collaborative ‘wall’ on a new hoarding in St John’s Lane. This breathtaking portrait piece is by Shade One and is significant in so much as it demonstrates so clearly how over the last couple of years he has developed his style from high-end cartoon portraits to a photorealistic style.
Shade One, St John’s Lane, Bristol, June 2023
The sunglasses woman is painted in greyscale, which works really well when set against the colourful cosmic, cloudy background. When working in greyscale, particular attention has to be paid to light and shade, and Shade One has done this well, particularly in the folds of the fabric of the woman’s top. This is one of several outstanding pieces painted during a high-class paint jam a short while ago.
Dibz, Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Three of Bristol’s best artists have come together to paint this outstanding collaboration in Dean Lane. Dibz, Rusk and Shade One are not strangers to this wall, but they have absolutely smashed it on this occasion, in a touching tribute to Shimmer (Shimz).
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
On the left is a gorgeously perfect chrome piece by Dibz, which could equally well spell DIBZ or SHIMZ (I wonder if the ambiguity was deliberate). Everything about this is on-point, and there is a rather nice little SHIMZ shout-out in the top left.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Rusk and Shade One have been busy in this spot lately, and I think this is the third collaboration they have enjoyed this year. I don’t really need to tell you how much I admire Rusk’s work. He is one of the most meticulous artists in Bristol, and will always strive to ensure his work is flawless. There is a lovely yellow pattern in this piece that flow seamlessly across the letters.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Finally, the portrait piece on the right by Shade One is, I assume, depicting Shimmer, as the Shimz RIP in the top corner would suggest. The greyscale photorealistic portrait is one of Shade One’s best to date, and the bar is pretty high. The collaboration is a fabulous one, and it will be a brave person indeed who is the first to paint over it.
Dibz, Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
Well, Rusk and Shade One have done it again with this collaboration and completely blown me away. This is their second recent collaboration in this spot, and with any luck, there will be more to follow. The writing and character formula seems to work so very well with these two, and although there is no crossover of style, there is something complementary about the two pieces.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
To the left is some very tidy writing from Rusk, which stands proud from the wall with some clever fills, shading and shadows. There is a kind of metallic feel to these letters which are filled exquisitely.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, January 2022
To the right is the Shade One portrait of a woman, but I am not too sure who the subject is. With each new piece, Shade One is gently transitioning from a cartoon style to something more photorealistic, and I have to say that I am loving it. Another terrific collaboration from these two.
Rusk and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
This is an absolutely stunning collaborative wall by Rusk and Shade One, and is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Rusk, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
The Rusk writing on the left spells out STONE, in magnificent blue letters with a regal shiny gold 3D drop shadow to die for. Perfectly written and presented, why would I expect anything less from Rusk?
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2022
The awesome portrait of Chadwick Boseman by Shade One captures a fabulous sideways glance which really catches the eye. Shade One’s work has gone stratospheric of late, moving from the cartoon or figurative style into a more photorealistic style. A very fine collaboration indeed.
A recent visit to Bristol by Goldie and Posea was enough to draw some of Bristol’s best artists, 3Dom, Dibz and Shade One, together to create a magnificent collaborative wall in Dean Lane, a couple of weeks ago. The end result is something quite magnificent and a wall that will last long in the memory, and might well remain in situ for quite some time, as there will be lots of respect for it.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
The left-hand side of the wall is propped up with this wonderful portrait piece from Shade One. I don’t know if I might be imagining it, but recently Shade One’s style has moved from a cartoony style to a more photorealistic style, and he seems to have raised his level considerably.
Shade One, Goldie and 3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
The left side of the wall features three artists, Shade One, Goldie, with the writing (SAKUKO) and 3Dom with the fantasy and rather fantastical landscape of mushrooms and snail thing. I understand that the two pieces of graffiti writing are names of two of Goldie’s children.
3Dom, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
The 3Dom snail with a house for a shell is crazy and imaginative, but I have seen him paint this house a few times before, and I wonder if there is some significance to it. The snail is magnificent, and the eyes are beautifully painted – I’m not too sure what it all means though.
Goldie, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
The second piece of Goldie Graffiti writing spells out CHANCE, the name of his daughter, and is in a style more reminiscent of his writing in St Werburghs tunnel a few months ago. There is a flag sticking out of the ‘a’ with the word bleu on it – another mystery of the piece.
Dibz and Posea, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
The right-hand side of the wall is rounded off with some superb writing from Dibz and a hand with a lighter by Posea. Both of these elements are superbly painted, as you’d expect, and the flame from the lighter acts as a bridge between the two halves of the collaboration.
Posea, Dean Lane, Bristol, June 2022
I don’t know much about Posea at all, other than that he comes from Sheffield and judging from his Instagram feed is a hugely talented and productive street artist. This hand holding a lighter is outstanding, but the flame takes it to another level. Since I photographed this piece, I have seen another of his pieces in Bristol which is equally impressive. I hope he can return soon to share the joy again.
As I have recently mentioned, the long brick wall at Sparke Evans Park is fast becoming one of the premium walls in Bristol, and the quality of artwork there is improving all the time, perhaps highlighted by this remarkable collaboration between Dibz and Shade One.
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
The left hand side is a characteristically colourful piece of wildstyle graffiti writing from Dibz and is a birthday celebration for a friend. I can’t decipher the writing, but it looks something like ‘Motof’… ish.
Dibz and Shade One, Sparke Evans Park, Bristol, November 2021
I believe that the outstanding portrait by Shade One in greyscale is a picture of the Birthday girl, but I cannot be certain, but it would make sense. Shade One’s portraits are always eye-catching and this one is no exception. All in all a remarkable collaborative effort.
Let me start with an apology. I realise that keeping up with reading blog posts can be an onerous task sometimes, and I am sorry that I have started posting three instead of the customary two street art pieces of late. This is because there is such a huge turnover of street art here in Bristol at the moment and I want to record as much of it as I am able to. I’ll not be offended if you don’t catch them all.
Dibz, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
This is a wonderful collaborative wall from Dibz and Shade One who have produced a succession of these remarkable duets through the year. The distinctive writing style of Dibz has been given a thoroughly vibrant makeover with a superb explosion of colours and shades. Wonderful.
Shade One, St Werburghs, Bristol, July 2021
The framed portraits by Shade One have a very special quality about them, always hinting as much at what is beyond the circular frame as what is contained within it. His contemporary portraits fit the street scene perfectly and act as a natural foil to the graffiti writing of Dibz. A stand-out collaboration, alongside many other great pieces from a Funday Sunday paint jam a couple of weeks back.
Shade One and Dibz have painted some fabulous collaborations over the last six months, but this one is probably the pick of the bunch. I was lucky enough to watch their progress for a while and have a quick chat. I’ve not met Shade One before, but he seems to be an affable guy, and I don’t seem to be able to avoid meeting Dibz at the moment, I think our biological clocks must be in sync.
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
This is a beautifully crafted piece and both artists are meticulous with the detail and clean lines. Dibz’s writing is as complex as ever with horizontally layered colours and shadows the offer a deep perspective. The writing serves as a foundation for the character piece by Shade One.
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, March 2021
There is a wonderful symmetry and balance to this collaboration that makes it very easy on the eye indeed. I think the circle being referenced at the bottom in Dibz’s writing is really clever and brings a resolution to the whole composition. A brilliant piece from a couple of artists in peak form.
These tight collaborations from Dibz and Shade One are becoming something of a feature in Dean Lane this year, and it has been a genuine privilege to see and photograph them.
Dibz and Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
The precise graffiti writing from Dibz paired with the stylised portraits from Shade One have a crispness and professional look about them. The walls are always nicely prepped and the work carefully done.
Dibz, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
On the left, the black and white writing from Dibz is so sharp and painted to appear like a sticker, along with all the surrounding ‘shout outs’. Note the little fold over on the far left, a trick repeated in the top right-hand corner of Shade One’s contribution.
Shade One, Dean Lane, Bristol, December 2020
Shade One creates these amazing portraits that have a sophisticated comic book feel about them. What lies behind those eyes? I love the shirt collar too. Overall another excellent production from this pairing.
