CNN
—
Hawaiian artist Sean Yoro likes to paint his evocative murals on precarious surfaces: melting icebergs, the burnt bark of trees and remote waterside walls at the mercy of rising tides, among others. The transient nature of the works, which are destined to naturally disappeared shortly after their creation, is used to bring attention to problems afflicting the environment.
But for his latest project he’s set an extraordinary challenge for himself: to paint underwater while freediving, a form of diving that involves breath-holding and no scuba gear.
The project, titled “Deep Seads,” is a series of three works created in locations around Hawaii, designed to raise awareness around dying coral reefs.
Marine heat caused by climate change is causing coral bleaching worldwide, and experts believe that the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia – the only living organism that can be seen from space – might be headed for a disastrous future. According to the WWF, coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life.
02:32 - Source: CNN
Surfer paints breath-taking underwater murals
Yoro used concrete and steel to create inert underwater structures known as artificial reefs, which are used to help jump start marine growth in areas affected by coral bleaching. He then turned them into a canvas for his murals, making sure that all materials used were not harmful to the environment, including the eco-friendly pigment sticks he used to paint.
“I had to create my own materials,” he said in a phone interview. “The technique I ended up using reminded me of charcoal drawing back in when I was in art school.”
The biggest hurdle, however, was the physical preparation required to efficiently paint underwater without an oxygen supply. “I’ve surfed my whole life, but as much as I have experience in the water I’ve never actually had any experience diving. So even just training for it was much more difficult than I imagined,” he said.
Yoro had aimed to complete the project in fewer than six months, but due to an extensive training required, it ended up taking three times as long.
“For the first three months it was going okay, then I actually got hurt. I ruptured my ear drum and that took me out of the water for three more months,” he said.
Even before he got hurt, Yoro believed he would be able to hold his breath underwater for about two minutes. “In fact, I was only able to hold it for probably 40 seconds and go down about 10, maybe 15 feet,” he said.
After almost a year of training, his freediving technique allowed him to stay submerged for three minutes, which gave him about two minutes worth of painting time. But due to the time required for resurfacing and breathing, he would only get around 20 minutes of actual painting for every hour. That meant that each piece, on average, took three to four days of work with roughly 10 hours per day spent in the water.
Yoro painted three works for “Deep Seads.” The first, titled “Lumens,” depicts a jellyfish and is meant to capture the moment he discovered how much beauty and magic the ocean holds, as well as the fragile state in which it currently is.
The second, “Breath,” an exhaling figure, is linked to the discovery of freediving, an activity that Yoro says requires as much control of the lungs as of the mind.
The third, “Buried,” is the image of an eye, symbolizing the fragility of the life that lives in the oceans today. The figure is being covered by the sand, representing the need to protect what is left before it’s too late.
Just like his previous works, these too will be long gone by the time you read this. Yoro believes that algae started covering the drawings about 12 to 14 days in, and hopefully many more living organism will be thriving on the artificial reefs by now.
Although Yoro often works in remote locations and under difficult conditions, he believes adapting his body to painting underwater has been the most demanding endeavor yet. “By far I would say this was the most physically and mentally challenging,” he said.
courtesy sean yoro
Surfer and artist Sean Yoro has created a mural in a spot -- Canada's Bay of Fundy -- where the tides submerge the work in less than 6 hours every day.
courtesy sean yoro
The painting, which took nine days to complete, measures 30 by 45 feet.
courtesy sean yoro
"For 9 days we lived off the tide schedules, starting our days around 2:30 a.m. when the tides were lowest and taking breaks when the tide was too high," said Yoro.
courtesy sean yoro
"This project was unique because for the first time my mural will be naturally unveiled twice a day, transforming the piece with every tide level."
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro waits for the tide to rise another foot to be able to reach the top of the mural: "The rate of drop/rise was about 1 foot every 15 minutes, so there was a lot of waiting and being patient with the tides," he said.
courtesy sean yoro
"We were exploring the environment around the wall at low tide. Everything I walked on in these photos is usually underwater at high tides so it was incredible to see the change and explore the hidden world."
courtesy sean yoro
"I used a special paint formula for this project which would be able to dry quickly and withstand being submerged underwater. As usual, everything is completely nontoxic."
courtesy sean yoro
"I have never had to deal with my wall being so wet as well as the amount of water moving in and out in just six hours."
courtesy sean yoro
Surfer Yoro uses his board instead of a ladder or scaffold.
courtesy sean yoro
"This was the second day, medium tide. A small storm came in bringing in a thick fog and heavy rains. I tried to paint between the pockets of rain while the tides were still low."
courtesy sean yoro
"This is the fourth day at low tide. I got the bulk of the figure painted. These low tides during daylight were crucial and I needed to time my schedule right to get the most painting done."
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro estimates the painting could last two to three months, depending on natural conditions, but there is a chance it could last longer, up to two years.
courtesy sean yoro
"A'o 'Ana
" ("The Warning"), is one of Hawaiian surfer-turned-artist
Sean Yoro's earlier works. The stunning portrait of a woman, barely emerged from the icy water, is precariously painted on an iceberg freshly broken off from a nearby glacier in Iceland.
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro traveled to Iceland and scouted for an ideal location to create "A'o 'Ana."
"Just in the short week I was there, the icebergs all around me were constantly cracking and flipping," he says, noting that the portrait was fleetingly short-lived. "I would have given it a week or two, maximum."
© Renan Ozturk / Courtesy renan ozturk
This striking piece of art is titled "What if I Fly." Painted on the disappearing ice floes near Baffin Island, Canada, it features the portrait of a local Inuit girl. The goal of Yoro's work? "To ignite a sense of urgency towards climate change in those who stumble upon these murals," he tells CNN. (Photo credit:
Renan Ozturk)
courtesy sean yoro
The artist, who's also known as
Hula, has previously painted portraits in remote locations. For "A'o 'Ana
" he had a strong vision beyond aesthetic appeal. "The portrait represents the millions of people in need of our help who are already being affected from the rising sea levels of climate change."
courtesy sean yoro
To paint on ice, Yoro first applies an acrylic sheet: "It's similar to Plexiglas. I had been experimenting with different techniques to be able to paint on ice and the best way was to have an acrylic ground. Thus, I mounted these very thin sheets of acrylic by drilling screws into the ice."
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro always scouts different places before setting up camp and embarking upon his painting. He's seen here walking on location -- the details of which he'd rather not disclose -- and says it was a good 5 mile hike on foot to reach his ideal spot.
courtesy sean yoro
Finding the perfect iceberg to paint on is also a challenging task. "It took us a whole day of searching until the right one came along and I was able to set up to paint. The currents didn't help either, as the quicker my iceberg moved, the more it melted," says Yoro of his "A'o 'Ana" portrait.
courtesy sean yoro
For "A'o 'Ana", Yoro had to paint at night so as not to be seen. Here he sits on the beach working on the hand of A'o 'Ana right before sunrise.
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro approached the iceberg with his surfboard and then climbed on with ice picks. "I do think we are headed in the right direction with the actions we are taking to fight global warming, but we are late in responding and we need to quicken the pace of action if we want to keep this world safe for our future generations," he says.
courtesy sean yoro
A previous project involved a series of mesmerizing portraits in yet another undisclosed, abandoned location: "One of the exciting things about painting portraits is being able to bring life and emotion to objects and surfaces that were once without."
courtesy sean yoro
Yoro recently moved to Los Angeles from New York, but is originally from Hawaii New York City. "I grew up on Oahu, where I was surrounded with everything nature had to offer," he tells CNN. "The ocean was my playground and art didn't enter my life until my later teenage years."
courtesy sean yoro
Who's the woman in the portraits? "She's a friend from New York, although she prefers to remain anonymous."
courtesy sean yoro
The artworks are created with traditional oil paint: "I use it in a traditional old masters' technique, mixing both loose brushwork with very tight strokes of sharp lines. I'm always trying to make the paint have a juicier texture to really help the portrait come alive."
courtesy sean yoro
The water and the elements could ruin the artworks any minute, so these portraits also had an expiration date by design.
courtesy sean yoro
"Oil paint outdoors definitely isn't the best and it doesn't last nearly as long as acrylics, but I kinda like that my figures have their own lifespan," says Yoro.
courtesy sean yoro
Each painting takes anywhere from a whole day to three or four days to complete, depending on the size and detail.
courtesy sean yoro
"I'm lucky to have grown up on a surf board and it's just so natural for me to be on my paddle board, so I'm very comfortable in all types of situations which made it easier for me," says Yoro of his unique approach to art.
courtesy sean yoro
Why portraits? "One of the exciting things about painting portraits is being able to bring life and emotion to objects and surfaces that were once without. Also these figures just seem to match with the moods. A mysterious surreal combination."
courtesy sean yoro
Painting from the precarious balance of a floating board might seem like a stressful task, but it's not as bad as it looks. "I use a lot of ropes and anchors to keep me in place and steady, and the board itself is pretty stable when it's locked in. I usually choose places with minimal waves and tide changes too, so it feels just like any other platform."
courtesy sean yoro
What's next for him? "Like most things in my life, I don't try to plan too much into the future. I only plan to stay true to my passion and see where it takes me. Currently in the works are more water murals and even hopping onto land for some figures who blend in with their environments."
The ocean floor, he added, felt almost otherworldly, which led him into a peculiar mental state. But most importantly, he knew that down there, every movement, every stroke had to count.
“The most crucial aspect was efficiency,” he said. “I had to be very careful with the exact lines, to not waste any energy. Because with every line I drew, I realized that I was using up oxygen.”