One of Ireland’s hottest emerging artists embarks on an artistic journey across the pacific!
Determined to seek artistic inspiration beyond his motherland, and combine his passions of painting, surfing and traveling, Irish street artist, Eoin (ArtByEoin), grabbed his backpack and embarked on a 4-month journey that took him from Australia across the Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands.
While most make the Sydney Harbor Bridge or the Opera House their first stop, Eoin went straight to 567 King Street, Newtown, the paint shop. Twenty four hours later he produced his first wall in Newtown with graffiti writer ʻPlanʼ. From working on a project at a skate park in Belfast in 2011, Eoin then found himself adding his touch to walls with some of the Sydneyʼs finest writers and street artists: Pubz, Develish, Amuze, Days, Desta, Peque, Morbid, and Phibs. He was also invited to donate his work to two fundraising auctions for The Newtown Festival and ʻGlamour and Grungeʼ for youth charity ʻStreetWorkʼ.
Like most visitors Down Under, Eoin landed himself in the dry, barren Australian outback. More than 3000km of travel, five Subway footlongs and some very sketchy moments with the ʻlocalsʼ, he produced 4 pieces of his scenic art under the heavy sun. For an Irish lad, painting in 40 degree plus heat was an entirely new experience, but also a life-changing one that saw him draw from the environment and experiences.
As a surfer, a trip to one of the worldʼs most famous beaches, Bondi Beach was a must. The access to the beach is lined with a sprawling street art mural that Eoin was fortunate to be given 8 meters to create his own masterpiece. This was a truly memorable experience for Eoin and a great way to cap off his Aussie adventure before jumping across the pond to Hawaii.
Eoin finds it hard to put words to describe his Hawaiian adventure – he is a visual artist after all. Epic locations were everywhere he turned from renowned surf breaks to dramatic towering mountains, not to mention the awesome people that exerted the true definition of aloha spirit. Painting on the full moon at Kaena Point was a highlight for Eoin and one that he says he will never forget, “it truly is a special place out there!”
The opportunity to paint in Hawaii was made possible by 9th Wave Gallery, who is a collective of artists that support and drive each other to new places to achieve their goals and dreams. 9th Wave represents some of the biggest names in the surf art world including Clark Takashima, Patrick Parker, Drew Toonz, Shannon O Connell, Ryan McVay, and Danielle Zirkelbach. Collaborating alongside these icons was a refreshing opportunity that saw him produce 9 canvas works of art in the oceanfront 9th Wave house.
Eoin was also given an opportunity to paint at the Refinery Project – a self-sustaining, eco friendly creative space in the historic Wailua sugar mill on the North Shore. “The 40ft mural I created at the Refinery Project was part of a fundraiser to raise money for solar panels. The finished piece was titled ʻThe Dream Makerʼ after the ideal that the Refinery Project stands for.”
Despite these awesome opportunities, Eoinʼs main objective was painting the pillboxes at various points around the Island. The pillboxes are old World War 2 bunkers that were observation/defense points during the 2nd World War. The pillboxes provided epic locations and some serious climbing to get to a couple of them!
Eoinʼs adventure over the past 9 months culminated with a midnight hike out to Kaena Point, the western most tip on the island of Oahu. This was one of the most spiritually significant and resonating experiences for Eoin on the island. The trek began at 11pm and he didnʼt return to camp to count zʼs until 6am. Eoin says, “I canʼt explain what went on out there that night but all I can say is – the stories of the Hawaiian Islands being alive, are true!”
Eoin has returned to Ireland and claims to be suffering in the cold. He fondly looks over the 70+ wall pieces that he completed and people he has met over the past nine months and wonders, what made him decide to leave the canvas and paint his first big wall that night in March? . . . . . . .
