Artist creates Sheeran shopping centre mural

A Suffolk artist has paid tribute to a musician with a shopping centre mural which has taken two days to complete.

Keith Hopewell, from Suffolk, spent more than seven hours painting the mural of Ed Sheeran which features in Buttermarket Ipswich.

Sheeran, who grew up in the county, is scheduled to play three homecoming gigs at Portman Road Stadium in Ipswich on 11, 12 and 13 July.

Mr Hopewell said: "He has so much respect within the local community. They see him as a big role model and icon."

With the work taking two days to complete, the artist said there had been some challenges to getting it finished.

"All this really hard sunlight comes down on it, it's really hard to paint with these hard shadows.

"It's like being under a green house in this glass ceiling," he said.

Despite this, he said it was great to be able to pay tribute to the musician and create a work the community could enjoy.

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