Arctic Murals, a new form of art

Bryce Cullen
Staff Writer

        Hawaiian native artist Sean Yoro has painted beautiful images and has managed to capture them on the faces of icebergs. Being able to do so with the help of his surfer background, Yoro grabbed his paddle board and painting supplies and took to the freezing cold waters of the Artic. The artist created nine pieces that took part in a project called “A’o ‘Ana”, meaning “The Warning.” Sean created these images in order to raise awareness and urgency towards Global Warming, and ironically because of Global Warming, his pieces only lasted about a week or two. Sean says, noting that the portrait was fleetingly short lived, “I would have given it a week or two, maximum.”

          The Artic is not the first and only project for “A’o ‘Ana”; Yoro has previously traveled to remote locations in order to create his art. Yoro has always trekked across the land to find new locations where he could possibly stay and begin to embark on his painting. For one of his murals, he had a five-mile hike to get to his ideal location. According to Yoro, his favorite thing about painting in these desolate locations is being able to bring emotion into those locations. He has said, “One of the exciting things about painting portraits is being able to bring life and emotion to objects once without.” However the pieces are not ones done in a day and left behind. Yoro has said that he has spent anywhere from a whole day to three or four to finish. The woman you can see portrayed in all of his work is a friend of his from New York, who prefers to stay anonymous. Sean is also very thankful for his surfer background. “I’m lucky to have grown up on a surf board and it’s just so natural for me to be on my paddleboard, so I’m very comfortable in all types of situations which made it easier for me.” It is his native background that allows him to create his unique art in the locations he loves the most.