Eve Lamb
In the seven years since it was created, the big face mural on the front facade of The Mill has become an emblematic aspect of the popular Castlemaine attraction.
But with time and the elements taking a toll, the big face had become a tad weathered, prompting Mill management to take action by inviting the artist who created it back to restore its former freshness and impact.
And so it was that accomplished artist and specialist in large-scale outdoor murals, Damien Mitchell, could be seen atop a cherry picker in the past few days, spray cans to hand and music pumping as he breathed fresh life back into the big face.
“I really like it,” mused Damien who in recent months returned to Australia after many years overseas, living and working in both New York and Prague, capital of the Czech Republic.
He created numerous large-scale murals in both iconic cities and plenty of larger-than-life works in Australia including, most recently, one on a water tower at Walla Walla, NSW – celebrating native wildlife and an indigenous scar tree.
Since returning to Australian soil about six months ago, Damien and his wife have settled in Sydney, and the artist said visiting Castlemaine and revitalising the big face at the Mill had been “labour of love”.
“It’s a portrait of a friend of mine from Brooklyn,” he said.
The prodigious piece is a work in black and white but the addition of graffiti tagging over the years since its creation has added a splash of colour to the facade – and Damien said that was okay with him.
“I think I’ll just lean into it. I kind of like it,” he said.
Owner of The Mill, Phil McConachy said that since Damien created the big face back in 2015 another two murals had been added to the site.
“It was the first one on the site and it had become a bit faded and had a bit of rust, so we’ve given Damien complete artistic licence,” Phil said.
The Mill owner hinted that the imposing collection of Mill murals might well expand further yet.
“There’s some particular spots we have in mind …”
