VIDEO: IPaintMyMind x Storm Print City, Process and Street Printing

Artist Russell Muits, aka Storm Print City, is an avid traveller, but in an entirely new dimension. He traverses city streets, alleys, and intersections to make unique prints of storm covers, manholes, sewer lids, and other metal bits. 

He has termed this “street printing”, and it is a journey that has taken him across the country and the world. Russell wants to explore history, and community with his accessible and vibrant prints, and to show off a vastly under appreciated aesthetic element of any city.

In this video, Storm Print City hangs out with IPaintMyMind! He takes us on a day in the life of a street printer, explaining his process, and showing us around his gallery at the Jackson Junge Studio in Wicker Park. We’re incredibly lucky to have some Storm Print City originals in our permanent collection, and are excited to have him involved in our workshops and programming. Get acquainted with this seriously talented and prolific artist! 

(And if you love everything in this article, check out this interview IPMM’s founder did with Russell back in March.)

Russell is inspired by the history of iron work, the dynamics of cities and neighborhoods, and the people he meets. Metal grates and covers used to be poured by hundreds of different foundries and had many unique designs. Now, there are only about five in the entire country! 

Russell likes to track down the oldest and most unique examples of municipal iron works and make them the central motif of his artwork. He loves interesting patterns, fonts, and compositions, and enhances them with beautiful color combos. 

On a typical work day, Russell packs his antique iron tool box chock full of water-soluble ink, brayers, palette knives, paintbrushes, a sketchbook, and water to clean up afterwards. And — he never forgets his kneepad for peak comfiness!