HIS fingerprints have been all over Hunter Street mall for a decade, but a new mural has made Marcus Westbury’s face part of the landscape he transformed.
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Artist Shehzar Abro, 19, emblazoned the Renew Newcastle founder on a wall near the corner of Thorn Street in tribute to the “completely transformative” influence Westbury has had on Hunter Street.
The artwork depicts his face emerging through a historic image of the mall under a striking, colourful sky that vividly represents change.
Mr Abro, who works inside the adorned building from The Roost, said he was inspired by how Westbury’s simple concept had altered the mall’s fortunes.
“People say there are better people to paint but the whole point of making this mural is not to glorify someone who has already been glorified but to pay tribute to someone who struggled,” he said.
“It’s really to encourage ordinary people to come up with extraordinary ideas.”
