Surf Artist Battles 28-Ft Tide To Paint Climate Change-Inspired Mural In Bay Of Fundy

How far would you go to share an important message with the world? Artist Sean Yoro is willing to go to some extreme lengths, and recently proved this when he painted a 30-foot x 45-foot mural in the Canadian Bay of Fundy. The mural is of a woman who disappears under water when the 28-foot tide rises. At times, the water level increases by one foot every 15 minutes. This made Yoro’s latest project quite challenging.

The intrepid artist, who also goes by ‘Hula’, usually plasters his work in undisclosed locations due to legal reasons. For this piece, however, he was committed by Discover Saint John to create the mural on Minas Basin, an inlet in the Bay of Fundy.

Though Yoro didn’t need to evade authorities for this project, it was still a difficult task due to the fluctuating tide. He told CNN,

“It was really challenging to adapt to the tide changes, from the dangerous rip currents to the quick rate of rising and dropping water levels, averaging 1 foot every 15 minutes. I had to use several calculated formulas to know the rate of the tides coming in or out every day, and use this information to know what speed I could paint for that tide change, which helped (me) pace myself in order to get the proper details finished in the figure.”

Credit: Sean Yoro

Another challenge was finding a non-toxic paint that would quickly dry in the damp conditions. Yoro had to experiment with a variety of different types, but finally found a combination of paint mixed with sealers that could withstand rising water levels.

Credit: Sean Yoro

Sadly, Yoro’s work is not expected to last more than a couple of months. Sun, saltwater, and algae will erase the mural in time. Fortunately, the powerful artwork has been preserved in the photographs that follow.

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Raising awareness about climate change

Yoro was born on Oahu, Hawaii, and is now based in New York City. His hyper-realistic, large-scale murals seek to do one thing: raise awareness about climate change. For one of his past projects, the surfer paddled out to an iceberg and spent days attaching a prepared painting to its side, reports Treehugger.

He recalled,

“In the short time I was there, I witnessed the extreme melting rate first hand as the sound of ice cracking was an instant background noise while painting. Within a few weeks these murals will be forever gone, but for those who find them, I hope they ignite a sense of urgency, as they represent the millions of people in need of our help who are already being afflicted from the rising sea levels of climate change.”

Credit: Sean Yoro

Credit: Sean Yoro

Yoro’s artwork does more than inspire conversation on the phenomena of global warming, it reminds us all that there is plenty to do (individually and collectively) to alter the course of climate change.

h/t CNN, TreeHugger