Finland-based artist David Popa takes an unusual approach to his street art. While he was raised in New York City with a father who was a graffiti writer, Popa doesn’t use spray paint to create his murals. In fact, he doesn’t even use walls, trains, or other typical surfaces. Instead, he is drawn to nature and blends his evocative art into the landscape by creating earth murals.
At the outset, deciding how to create artwork that wouldn’t harm the environment took some careful planning. And to get inspired, Popa had to turn to the past. “I asked myself at the inception of creating work in nature what did the cave painters use? Cave painters would go to great lengths to find earth pigments as well as use chalks and charcoal to make their work,” the artist tells My Modern Met. “My materials are the same, by using earth pigments—also known as ocres or iron oxide—as well as charcoal and chalk.”
Popa mixes natural pigments, charcoal, and chalk with water and has a wide array of tones to execute his work. Incredibly, he is able to achieve incredible detail and depth even using these limited materials. And while the final pieces are ephemeral, he photographs each mural as a way to provide lasting documentation of the piece.
From portraits painted on ice as it breaks apart to faces appearing where glaciers once were, it’s clear that Popa is meticulous in selecting the locations for his artwork. “I am looking for locations that are stunning from above and appear to be latent with buried life—waiting to be uncovered. Working near the water, on fractured ice floes and generally in locations where nature can interact with the piece in unexpected ways is the goal.”
While Popa’s work is impressive from a technical and emotional standpoint, it also stands apart for the environmental message that it sends. His pieces are reminders to take pride in the beauty of nature, while at the same time, respecting its fragility.
To see how Popa puts together these pieces, check out his Instagram, where he often posts videos of his creative process.
David Popa uses natural pigments to create large-scale earth murals.
His ephemeral land art pushes him to work with the elements and the unexpected—like ice breaking apart.
“The main goal of my work is to draw my viewer to the miracle and mystery of our existence here on earth.”
On his Instagram, Popa often posts videos that give insight into his creative process.
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