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Green Bay graphic designer and muralist Zane Statz creates work in all shapes and sizes, but his heart belongs to multistory murals. 

“My main passion is large-scale work,” he says. “The bigger the canvas, the more freedom I have. It lets me be more creative.”

Last fall, the St. Norbert College grad was contracted by Main Street Greensburg to paint a 1,000-square-foot mural for the City of Greensburg, Indiana. Statz painted the mural on 26 sheets of plywood in his garage and drove the finished panels to Indiana for installation.

Statz took inspiration from the city’s agricultural roots and incorporated wheat stalks along with the text “Love grows here” over a vibrantly colored background. Heavily influenced by the pop art and street art scenes of the West Coast, Statz uses bold colors in much of his work.  

“I don’t think I’ve found a way to use too much color and I hope I never find that,” he says. 

Locals can find Statz’s work in the shadows of Lambeau Field. For the past three years, Statz and collaborator Spencer Young have created the mural on the Packers Fence, a landmark located on Lombardi Avenue across from the Lambeau Field Atrium. Each year the duo paints the 6-foot high, 70-foot long fence in one 15-hour marathon day on the Saturday before the season’s first game. 

 “We like the impact that completing it in one day creates,” Statz says. “It’s a wow factor and gets fans excited.” 

Last year, the fence featured Mike Daniels and Clay Matthews in a comic book style “Defenders of Lambeau” theme. This year Statz and Young painted the fence on September 8 in tribute to the Packers 100th season. 

“The fence [features] some of the greats to wear the Packers uniform along with the reasons why the fans love supporting a community-driven team,” Statz says.

Statz plans to bring the power of murals to more areas in Northeast Wisconsin.

“I hope this transforms into something bigger and I can impact more spaces,” he says. “It’s fun to brighten up a space and add a whole new look on life with one wall.”

To see more of Statz’s work, visit zasdesigns.com.