I'm taking part today in Monday Murals hosted by Sami.
Mae Travels of Mae's Food Blog perceptively commented on my last week's post about a painted-over mural that "murals . . . are destined to be replaced. Surely the artists know that this is an ephemeral work, and that exposure to the elements will efface the work even if no one paints over them or tears down the wall where they are painted."
Coincidentally, this week I'm posting about the ULTIMATE in ephemeral murals!
In February, the American artist David Popa (now based in Finland) created three huge, ephemeral murals on and beside frozen lakes and rivers here in my province of Alberta, Canada. He is known for creating such nature-based works of art which remain only until they are reclaimed by the land, water and elements. Once gone, his murals live on only in photos, prints, and videos.
His Alberta series is entitled RENEWAL. Working in frigid temperatures, Popa painted these images in two days using charcoal and chalk in household garden sprayers. The murals lasted for one day after completion before being dispersed by the strong winds.
Here is David Popa at work on one of them --
These photos are from an article by Sarah Barnes, Massive Land Murals Portray Portraiture on the Frigid Canadian Landscape, found here.
Plus, if you're interested and have 7 minutes to spare, here's an excellent interview with David Popa about his experience creating these frozen Alberta murals --
47 comments:
I love to see murals, they brighten up a previously dingy places and show the soul of the community.
Wow!
Thank you for the video, it was fascinating.
...so many murals are ephemeral. I learned to ALWAYS photograph when I see things. Things never last forever! This is HUGE WOW!!!
I second the Wow!
Those are so cool. The one on the ice would make a great cover of a murder mystery too.
The murals are stunning, especially knowing they will vanish soon.
I'm in awe of the talent.
Those are gorgeous. How in the world does he know where he is in the painting, with such giant things?
This is the most beautiful and unique artwork. Thank you for sharing. I just can’t wrap my head around creating something so amazing to have it disappear. To hear him talk about the experience, it seems rewarding to him. And an added bonus in the clip, how he complemented Canadians, (yea) and the interviewer wanted to say sorry for the chinook! I am going to be thinking of this all day. Jayne
Wow! Like a sand mandala.
@ whkattk -- Yes, I wonder that too. GPS?
@ Pixie -- Yes, exactly! All is impermanence.
Wow! What great talent. Although I would feel too sad to see my fantastic art work just disappear a day or two later. Thanks for participating in Monday Murals Debra.
Whoa this is magnificent. Almost unbelievable how he creates this beauty.
Stunning! I'm wondering how he got all the proportions right on such challenging surfaces!
@ Duni -- Yes, I wonder that too, and also about those painters who do huge murals on the vertical sides of high-rises. I'm wondering if GPS is involved somehow. Apparently that's how those huge, intricate, and perfect geometric crop circle things are made.
The murals are impressive and beautiful. I admire people who do artwork that will disappear; I wouldn't be able to put in that much time and effort on something that wouldn't endure except in photographs. Really though, that's the story of all of us. Eventually, we only exist in photos and memories.
Lovely murals, dear Debra.
These are stunning! I love their impermanence. And, my goodness, what an artist!
These are amazing, Debra.
Boa tarde Debra.Seus desenhos são maravilhosos. Considero verdadeiras obras de arte. Ontem, prestei uma pequena, homenagem ao Dia Internacional das Mulheres. Grande abraço do seu amigo brasileiro. Uma excelente tarde de segunda-feira.
Ooooo totally stunning! I can't begin to imagine the planning that has to go into creating a piece of art like this. And when it's finished.... Mother Nature takes it away. Wow.
Artists "arting" make life so much better.
I think he used a drone for the ice portrait. That would be what I would use. His work is amazingly beautiful in amazingly beautiful places.
Wow!! Those are amazing to see!
@ Leanna -- I know drones were certainly used to film the overhead footage and photos of the art installations.
The rocks and water, reminds me of part of Eastern Washington.
Beautiful work! Love them.
Oh goodness, these are beautiful.
Wow! That's a lot of work for something that won't last long.
Super well done. Wow, wow.
What a huge effort for two days.
@ Lady M -- Yes, but he monetizes the carefully documented images as prints, videos, etc which is probably lucrative. The only thing which is transitory is the original image. And let's face it, with a durable painting, the artist doesn't see any of its increased value every time it changes hands anyway, so what's the point of longevity, from his point of view?
Great stuff. Love the face images.
Stunning!
Love the idea of art being renewable. Ephemeral? Yes. But even more valuable in print, video or photography.
Best seven minutes today.
XOXO
It is intriguing how he manages to create such realistic images in that situation. As for the huge murals on the sides of buildings, I believe that some artists make a design which they divide into squares and essentially use projective geometry to recreate it at the large size. There are other techniques as well— Summary here https://happydecay.com.au/mural-scaling-techniques/
Such a beautiful and poetic post!
C’est magnifique !
Très créatif, un talent artistique exceptionnel et extraordinare :)
Monsieur Dupuis 🇨🇦
Wow. Just wow. They’re spectacular. Yes thank goodness he takes photos of them. They’re stunning
@ Mae Travels -- Thanks for that link -- very informative!
These are amazing! If you hadn't told me otherwise, I would have thought they were photoshopped.
Wow! They are beautiful and I am amazed that anyone would even think to do this.
He would definitely have to have a non-windy day to work.
David Popas' murals are spectacular, but it would break my heart to put in so much work only to see it blow away the next day!
O dear Debra big big thanks for introducing me with such unique artist like David Popa , he is gifted no doubt with amazing skills that I haven’t seen before
I found his art breathtaking and awesome, I am always amazed how much gifts our Creator has given his men wow 🥹
Beautiful and very talented 👍♥️
Oooh these are beautiful. Thank you for sharing this!
-Quinley
These are mind-blowing, Debra! The one on the water at sunset is exquisite. How could someone conceive of such a medium? I really enjoyed the video.
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