Sober – Natural adventures

5103. M32 Cycle path (203)

Klashwhensober, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2023

This is a really classy piece by Klashwhensober, which reveals a raw talent combined with dedication from the artist, developed over the last couple of years. The writing is not as busy as many of his pieces and feels like a moment of clarity, or a pause, in his rapid-fire execution of ‘SOBERs’.

There is a reason that bees and wasps adopt the black and yellow colours, which is to advertise their stinging capability and ward off predators. The colour combination cuts through the chaos of colour all around us. The letters are set on three bubbly patterns in blues, greens and purple/orange, which break through the letters at certain points. It is the SOBER that is the star of the show though painted in a thin yellow font, with a beautifully proportioned black 3D drop shadow, which works so well to create depth to the letters. This is a confident and strong piece from Klashwhensober, one of his best yet.

5056. Dean Lane skate park (569)

Klashwhensober, Dean Lane, Bristol, February 2023

If I posted all of Klashwhensober’s graffiti writing, then there would be precious little else on Natural Adventures. I believe that he might be slowing down a little, as when I last met him he told me he has recently managed to get a new job, and I wish him the very best with that.

I decided to pick this one out for posting because it is typical of his work and has repeated some colours that worked so effectively before in a December 2022 piece in the tunnel, although the colours are divided horizontally instead of vertically. What you will always get with Klashwhensober is creativity with his writing. There is always something going on, together with the form of his letters. There is lots of dripping happening in this one, for example.

Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, December 2022

5027. St Werburghs tunnel (354)

Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, February 2023

I am trying to keep up with Klashwhensober’s work, but failing miserably. At some point I am going to have to do a round up of pieces that are lurking in the archives, but for the time being I bring you this wonderful recent piece in the tunnel

The bright yellow background immediately draws you in, and then, once hooked, your eyes are drawn across the fine SOBER lettering so beautifully filled with turquoise and purple. The 3D drop shadow in red has a central vanishing point, giving the writing a slightly bowed appearance. Great letters, great fills, great patterns – this is an explosion of colour and creativity, a masterclass of its type from Klashwhensober.

5019. Brunel Way (192)

Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, February 2023

Klashwhensober is utterly relentless. I reckon that I only post about one in five of his pieces, and I currently have a lot of catching up to do. This recent piece under Brunel Way is something a little different and special from the artist, and demonstrates his versatility.

Set on a grey background and ‘stitched together’ with a blue line running up and down and across the piece, Klashwhensober’s letters ‘SOBER’ each have their own character and design. I particularly like the E and R at the right hand end. The colours work pretty well together and the 3D drop shadow does a great job in lifting the letters away from the background. An unusual offering from Klashwhensober, but one that works really well. I’d welcome more like this from him.

4949. Various locations

As with other prolific artists, I have had to group a bunch of pieces by Klashwhensober together to make sure that they get to see the light of day. This selection of pieces were all photographed in May 2022, although some may have been painted some time before then. It looks like I photographed the first ‘Sober’ piece before it was completed, and then again once finished (see Feature image). This was entirely accidental, and I only noticed they were different when I was putting this post together.

Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2022

This red Klash writing, with squishy green bubbles, lasted rather a log time in this tunnel of the M32 roundabout as I recall.

Klashwhensober, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2022

Another Klash piece, this time in the tunnel, with some nice blue transitions and decorations in the fills. I think that I would like to see Klashwhensober start to buff his walls first, because it would give his talent more of an opportunity to shine through, but this is kind of hard core writing and that is OK.

Klashwhensober, M32 spot, Bristol, May 2022

This piece presents us with a feast of colour and explosive elements, something that Klashwhensober excels at.

Another Sober piece, again with a blue fill, but rather less frenetic than some of his work. Calm and concentrated.

Finally, another burst of energy in the tunnel, this time with the added bonus of a curious red figure peeping over the SOBER letters. I don’t know how Klashwhensober finds the energy or affords the paint for his work, but I am only glad that he does.

4934. St Werburghs tunnel (336)

I think that it is probably safe to say that Klashwhensober has had a great year and that he is likely to have been Bristol’s most productive graffiti writer in 2023. I have been doing a bit of a trawl through my archives, and will shortly be sharing a host of pieces by Klashwhensober that never made it into this blog.

This recent piece in the tunnel, spelling SOBER, is a stunner in which Klashwhensober has gone for a vertical split with the colouring (that faithful combo of pink and blue), and a smoking ‘volcanic’ rift between the two halves of the piece. This is beautifully painted and presented and offers real depth and movement. Fine work indeed. Look out for a Klashwhensober post in a few days.

4851. Brunel Way (185)

Klashwhensober, Brunel Way, Bristol, November 2022

There doesn’t seem to be any letting up from Klashwhensober, and you have to admire his grit and determination. Added to that, you also have to admire the constant improvement and development of his bright pieces, as he becomes one of the more prominent writers in the city.

This bright SOBER writing is accompanied by a rather sinister gun-toting character, whose shooting has peppered the writing with bullet holes and bleeding. What marks this piece out, and indeed is a bit of a signature feature from the artist, is the objects and splashes bursting out of the middle of the writing. A fine grey-3D drop shadow and day glow green border (with drips) and cloudy background finish the piece nicely.

4837. M32 Spot (151)

Klashwhensober, M32 Spot, Bristol, November 2022

There was a time when I could barely step outside my house without bumping into Klashwhensober, but I have not seen him now for a few months. I guess our body clocks are out of sync. Sometimes not meeting artists regularly is a sign that they are going through a fallow period, but that is certainly not the case with Klashwhensober, who appears to be as prolific as ever.

This reasonably recent piece, on one of my favourite walls, is a scorcher. There is a lot to like about this one. The piece is an explosion of colour, with the SOBER letters in green and blue and the background in orange and yellow. The fabulous thing that Klashwhensober is adding to his pieces these days is a feature aspect emanating out of the letters, and in this example is is a green cloudy element spreading out from the centre. A classy Klash piece.

4816. M32 roundabout J3 (436)

Klashwhensober, M32 roundabout, Bristol, November 2022

I struggle to keep up with Klashwhensober’s work, especially when there is so much new work appearing on the streets of Bristol every day, but I couldn’t let this one remain in the wings for too long, it is just too good.

I guess that for anyone not used to reading Klashwhensober’s writing, it can be a little tricky to decipher, but a tip is that he usually writes Klash, Sober or Soba… here it says Sober. The letters are thin, almost in a Logoe script style, but it is the two decorations that catch the eye, looking like little blue and red molecular models that you used to see in school. An absorbing and animated piece – really good.

4696. Greenbank (53)

Klashwhensober, Greenbank, Bristol, August 2022

Here he is again with some more bright and striking pieces of graffiti writing. I am of course talking about the prolific Klashwhensober. It is strange, but there was a time a few months ago when I was bumping into Klashwhensober at least once a week, and our clocks were in sync… however, I haven’t seen him for quite a while now. The same thing happened with Werm.

Both of these pieces are at Greenbank, and a feast for the eyes. The first, spelling SOBER is really eye-catching and is notable for the smorgasbord of fills transitioning horizontally through the piece with interest through every layer, truly a thing of beauty.

The second piece is slightly more muted, but still beautifully presented. Spelling KLASH, this piece again offers some exquisite fill patterns and colours, complemented with a beautifully painted 3D shadow with a central disappearing point. Both pieces are top notch and a real celebration of Klashwhensober’s workmanship. Bravo!

	paulh121 on 5112. M32 roundabout J3 (…
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	scooj on 5108. Cumberland Basin

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