PORT ANGELES — Clandestine messages hidden in plain sight? No, this isn’t Cold War-era espionage but art intended to brighten the day of pedestrians.

At noon Monday, a sidewalk mural located in front of the Conrad Dyar Memorial Fountain was unveiled.

But the art — known as rain-activated art or “rainworks” — is only visible when wet, meaning it either has to be raining or a passerby needs to dump water on it to get a look.

The mural was painted by artist Todd Fischer of Port Angeles in collaboration with the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe and the city of Port Angeles. Fischer was not present at the unveiling.

When visible, the mural reads, “The Northwest is Best,” and includes a drawing of the Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the forests in between.

Rainworks

The mural was inspired by Rainworks of Seattle, a company founded by Peregrine Church that sells “Invisible Spray” — a coating that repels water to the degree that droplets do not flatten but roll off instead.

Invisible Spray repels water from absorbent surfaces including concrete, wood, stone, cardboard and fabric.

The product “is similar to concrete sealer and they recently started selling it so anyone can go online and buy the spray,” Suzie Bennett, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Heritage Center manager, said during the unveiling.

“Todd and I, along with the city of Port Angeles, decided that we wanted to do one here, so the Elwha Clallam Tribe here paid for the stencil and the product and Todd volunteered the work.”

It cost about $75 to purchase the supplies, Bennett said.

“This is the experiment,” she said, adding she hopes this will be the first of many rainworks hidden on city sidewalks.

“This one was just a trial run and it came out a little lighter” than expected and is slightly difficult to see, she said.

“It was supposed to be a lot darker, but the spray didn’t cover as much of the area as we would have hoped. We have to work with the city to see when and where we can install more.”

Lifespan

The temporary mural is expected to last from two to four months “depending on foot traffic,” Bennett said.

Bennett encourages passersby to stop and view the new mural when they walk through the area.

“It is so fun,” she said.

If there is no rain, bring a full water bottle to help make the art appear.

For more information about the art form, visit rain.works.

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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.