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Artist’s Ephemeral Earth Murals Turn Floating Ice and Desolate Deserts Into Masterpieces

By Jessica Stewart on May 29, 2024

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When we last checked in on Finland-based artist David Popa, he was creating incredible murals inspired by his environment. Using only charcoal, chalk, and natural pigments, Popa uses Earth as his canvas. Whether created on ice, snow, dirt, or sand, his ephemeral art is mesmerizing.

For those interested in how he produces his murals, Popa often posts videos of his creative process. In one video, we see him working on a floating piece of ice. As he diligently works on the portrait of a woman, the ice begins to fragment. Popa, though initially thrown, eventually learns to embrace this turn of events.

“At first, I attempted to somehow get the pieces back together, but shortly realized it was futile to be attempting to put back fragments that will never join together again in the same manner,” he writes. “The work clearly had plans of its own, and I reluctantly continued working on it, not having a clue what the result would be.

“One of the goals of my work is to capture the ephemeral, fleeting nature of our lived reality… A reality that is fragmented and broken and often makes us want to give up soon after we realize the broken pieces cannot be mended.”

While much of Popa's work is produced in Finland, he's recently begun spreading his wings. New murals in Saudi Arabia and Utah see him working in desert environments, and the results are striking. The warm tones of the desert give his work a different look and feel.

Popa is now collaborating with photography collective and mental health brand, Memento, on an apparel line featuring his land art. He also sells limited-edition prints on his website. Interested collectors can sign up to receive a notification about his next print drop.