Paul McCartney visits Newcastle mural dedicated to his work.
Sir Paul McCartney has officially circled back to his artistic roots during his visit Down Under.
Heading to Newcastle for his third stop in his Got Back tour, McCartney visited a freshly painted mural in Newcastle dedicated to his work.
The mural, which includes references to several of McCartney’s musical numbers, was painted by Mitch Revs and commissioned by Venues NSW.
McCartney was quick to praise Revs’ work, telling the artist that he’s done “great work” and calling the mural “beautiful”.
He was then given the opportunity to add his own personal flair.
“Let’s see what we can do, I’ve never done this before,” he joked, before Revs replied “I’ve seen your artwork”.
“New career man, let’s go,” McCartney added.
In the end, he made his mark with two smiley faces — one in the middle of the iconic Yellow Submarine — accompanied by his initials.
“Cheers man,” McCartney said afterwards, handing back the paint and shaking hands with Revs before posing for a photo.
“I did this, all my own work,” McCartney said cheekily as he posed for the photo, thumbs up and smiles all around.
“Taking all the credit, I love it,” Revs replied, grinning, before quietly thanking the Fab Four legend.
Revs took to Instagram to talk about the experience, saying that it was definitely unexpected.
“So I never thought that I’d be sitting in an alleyway on a Tuesday waiting for Paul McCartney,” he posted in an Instagram story.
Speaking to the ABC, Revs discussed the potential impact the mural could have on Newcastle.
“I hope this mural says that there’s a lot of opportunity for people in Newcastle to think bigger.
“For me personally this is the biggest mural I’ve painted, and I think Newcastle is now pushing forward to be one of those capital cities that’s offering more to everyone that comes here.”
While the mural is definitely a special moment for Newcastle residents, it’s definitely not McCartney’s first dabble in painting.
In fact, the global star has a long history with art, having published a book of his very own paintings in 1999.
He discussed his connection with art the same year his book was released ahead of his very own art exhibition, according to archival footage posted by AP Archive.
“I’ve been interested in painting since I was in grammar school a long time ago, and then after The Beatles I sort of started buying paintings in the ‘60s, so I’ve been interested that way,” McCartney explained.
“I’m not trying to claim to be the greatest painter in the world, but I think I’m not bad,” he admitted.
He added that he doesn’t care what people think of his work, and that he’s only trying to impress himself.
“I’m not really fussed what people think, I’m really not, because I’m not doing it for a living, this is not an exam, this is what I do for pleasure, and if anyone’s interested, then take a look at it.
“But I don’t care if you don’t like it, because I’m only trying to impress myself,” he said.
More Coverage
His collection included paintings of the Queen, which McCartney said he painted from a picture in a magazine that he liked.
“It’s affectionate, it’s not a portrait of the Queen, she didn’t sit for it, but it’s a bit of fun,” McCartney said.
The Got Back tour will see McCartney play shows in Sydney this Friday and Saturday before stopping by Brisbane and the Gold Coast next week.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7xKernqqklravucSnq2ilpai2pHvTqKyrq1%2BotrN5z5qspWWdmLCivtOnnLJlpp7AqsDSZqSuqpGheqWxw6KamqyVmXq1u4yhoKxlp6S%2FrHnIp2SnnaeYrrTAy55mp52nqHq0wM6rsGhoYWmzeoLAcpprapWbhKWtk55vbmllaoWig5FymJyakw%3D%3D