The brightest feather in Bendigo’s street art fedora, this mural interacts with light and shadow to lift the bar in 2D public art.

Travelling all the way from Adelaide, Jack Fran added this amazing new mural to Bath Lane’s street art scene.

Fran’s design concept showcases the native wattle flower and gives a subtle nod to the fashion hub along Bendigo’s Bath Lane. (It also covered unsightly tags that previously occupied the wall.)

What we got was even more compelling and interactive than that.

During winter, if you visit the wall between midday and 1pm, you’ll watch the blue lady tip her hat towards the sun as a cutting dark shadow crosses the wall. This subtle yet effective play on light and shadow is what sets Fran apart, other artists may have ignored these more subtle details, Fran has used them to his advantage to create a piece of street art that interacts with the space.

Bath Lane is now on the map as a destination for visitors looking to experience street art. While there has been constant activation in the area over the last few years, including the revitalisation of Pennyweight Walk and the yearly Bendigo Bank commission, this new street art installation gives visitors a reason to travel the full length of Bath Late to witness this breathtaking street art.

When we heard on the Instagram grapevine that Jack was looking for walls to paint in Adelaide, we let him know we could find him a wall in Bendigo. Jack responded “yeah, when do we start?", and just like that, we began the search for a canvas large enough for Fran to showcase his skills.

The community has rallied together, as is the Bendigo way, to help make this street art project happen. We couldn’t have made this happen without the support of City of Greater Bendigo, Haymes Paint, Bendigo Hire, Brewhouse and their friendly landlord Richard. Also a quick thanks to the businesses who offered up their carparks for a week while Fran did his thing.