ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Along State Street Wednesday is when the prep work began. 

"Sarah Rutherford came out. We got Q taking pictures, so we've kind of been working together around the clock to get this sketch up," said Ephraim Gebre. 

Gebre is a Rochester native who now lives in Brooklyn. He came back to the area to paint a mural of the late John Lewis. He chose State Street because it's right down the street from a statue of Frederick Douglass. 

"It's like the historical area for these speeches and for activism, so like kind of want to keep it in that realm," said Gebre. 

The painting of John Lewis is a team effort and a week-long process. Spectrum News caught up with the painters again Saturday as they were working. 

Stroke by stroke, the painters were very detailed with their work. 

"We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure. It's not a little guy and it's also somebody that's so important that we're all very concerned with making it correct," said Darius Dennis, one of the artists. 

During the morning Saturday, many people stopped by to look at the work in progress. The news the mural was going to be about John Lewis was good news for some. 

"I'm thrilled. I think he's a symbol of hope especially in this time. And I'm so glad to see him in a northern city on a building and it gives me hope for hopefully equality and justice coming down the road," said Julie Cicora, a Webster resident who stopped by to look at the mural. 

For Gebree, he's hoping the mural can spark an emotional response. 

"I want them to feel something. I can't control how they're going to feel, but I want to stop them in their tracks and make them think about something," said Gebre.