Newcastle artist Mitch Revs is close to finishing the biggest mural of his career, a tribute to Paul McCartney celebrating the former Beatles star's visit to the Hunter.
The two-storey mural is taking shape on the side of a commercial building at one of the city's busiest intersections, on the corner of Stewart Avenue and Hunter Street.
Revs said during a break on Tuesday that he hoped to be finished by Wednesday afternoon.
Venues NSW commissioned Revs to paint the colourful image before McCartney arrives in town to perform at McDonald Jones Stadium on October 24.
Revs said McCartney, an artist himself, had provided some ideas and "doodles" to help design the 160-square metre work.
"I was working closely with Paul's team," he said.
"Him being an artist himself wanted to be involved in the curation of the project."
Revs has drawn on elements of McCartney's career in the mural, painting a yellow submarine in honour of the Beatles' famous song and the words Band on the Run to celebrate another McCartney hit.
"I had access to some cool kind of doodles that he'd drawn over the years that were in an archive folder.
"Then me doing some background research on him as well and songs that he wrote away from the Beatles."
Revs, who is receiving help from fellow artist Kelly Williams, said the mural's western orientation facing the sun had been a challenge.
"From 10 o'clock we're just getting absolutely belted," he said.
"It's also been very windy, so being 10 metres up on a scissor lift.
"You go through probably twice as many brushes, but you probably finish a couple of days in advance, too."
