Meet David Popa who defines himself as an adventurer and explorer. But first and foremost, he is an amazing artist. Watch the video above to see him in action.
Ephemeral Artist
One of the many aspects that make his artwork unique is the ephemerality of his work. Where others want their work to be eternally visible, David loves making work that lasts only for a brief moment of time.
“Ephemeral art has a lot to do with the beauty, in fact, that the work doesn’t last. The mysteries of the world that we live in. It’s sort of the same tension. We have these incredible moments, memories, loved ones that are here one day and then gone the next. The sort of miracle of life.”
All the pieces that David Popa has done so far on the ice have taken him 3 to 5 hours.
“It has to be created quickly because the ice is fracturing and the pigment is sinking into the ice and basically disappearing while I’m working on it. And obviously, I am freezing when I’m working on it.”
A drone as an art instrument
In order to reach the ice blocks, David has to actually has to swim through the freezing water. He then immediately starts painting. But as his artworks are so big, David uses a drone to take pictures from the air. This is the only way for him to see the result of his work. David uses only natural and biodegradable materials such as charcoal, ground shells and earth pigments. These are the same materials
used in cave murals 40,000 years ago.
Not knowing the final result
Not only is he not able to see the progress from the ground… He also does not envisage what the painting will end up looking once it is finished. As David told BrightVibes:
“…that has to do with even looking at the different parts in which it’s cracking. Maybe even guessing where the ice could crack. So that if it does, it’s going to make an even more dramatic piece.”
The earth is his canvas
David does not only paint on ice, his canvas is the earth.
Of course, David is not the only artist who uses earthly elements as instruments of art. Check out this article about artists who use nature as their playground.
8 Ways to support local artists
Of course, you can support David by buying his art (see link in article). But you can also support your local artists with these 8 tips.