Norwich underpass death: Artist paints tribute to homeless man

Devin Smith with her picture tribute to Sergiusz Davin who was found collapsed in St Stephen's Underpass in Norwich

A tribute picture has been painted of a homeless man who died after being found collapsed in a city underpass.

Local artist Devin Smith's painting of Sergiusz Meges, 29, is mounted over the place where he used to sleep rough and is one of a number of new works in St Stephens Street underpass in Norwich.

Ms Smith painted from photographs of Mr Meges and his face is drawn from an appeal poster.

Mr Meges had a Polish and Ukrainian background, police said.

The last confirmed sightings of Mr Meges were at 20:45 BST on Tuesday 9 June in the subway.

Ruth Knapp wanted to bring colour to St Stephen's underpass

Artists used the walls to create their own personal and colourful murals

Norfolk Police said his death was not thought to be suspicious but it was "unexplained".

Ms Smith said she specialised in her work on homeless people and local characters in her home city.

Bringing colour

The 21-year-old studied at Norwich University of the Arts and tried to engage her subjects in conversation before painting them so as to get their stories.

"Every time I visited he was asleep but I took photographs and used the appeal poster for his face," she said.

"Most people pass the homeless by and some give them money but most of those I speak to want an ordinary conversation.

"It is this human contact that I try to portray in my pictures.

"The dark background was chosen because his death is a dark story."

Since the incident in St Stephens local artists have painted colourful pictures and among them is Ruth Knapp who said Mr Meges picture marked a tragedy.

But she said other pictures brought colour to a "dark" place and people began using the underpass more and using the art as a topic of conversation.

Urban art was also included in the styles on show

Some artist's expressed their own particular view on life