Todd Mandeville completes one of a kind piece

After working on and off for over two and a half years, Saco artist Todd Mandeville finally finished his latest painting, an old Dodge pickup on an old Dodge hubcap. Over that span of time, Mandeville said he often thought or scrapping the project altogether.

"There were times where I thought about just quitting the painting," Mandeville said. "It was really difficult and very time consuming. I had to paint with it on my knee with my foot on a toolbox the whole time so it was a little awkward."

Ultimately, Mandeville said that he had so much time wrapped-up in the project that he decided to see it to completion. Now that it is complete, Mandeville is happy he didn't quit.

"I knew it would be pretty cool," he said. "I just had to stick to it and get it done."

Mandeville is known for his interactive paintings that are highly detailed and the latest "hubcap art" is no exception. From the chrome, Dodge emblem sitting atop the truck's hood to the 50's style Montana license plate resting on the bumper, the painting captures the scene of an abandoned vehicle sitting in a meadow on a cloud-filled summer day.

Mandeville said he has always had a fascination with old cars and trucks and found his stainless-steel canvas sitting out in a field. He pounded out the dents, sanded the hubcap and then started painting.

"I knew it was going to be cool, but getting it done was another story," he said. "I worked really hard on it for four months straight and at that point started to realize that it was going to take a long time to finish."

Because the painting is on an unusual canvas, it will be a one-of-a-kind as there is no way to make prints or reproduce it. Mandeville said that because of the texture and smoothness of the hubcap he had to use many layers of paint to complete the project. He added that if he were to try and paint another project on an unlikely service that the surface will be bigger and the detail in the painting won't be as thorough.

The first place that Mandeville will show his latest painting will be at the Seed Show in Harlem this weekend before taking it to Great Falls in order to feature the hubcap in exhibits at the Art Week that features a number of exhibits across town.

"Harlem is the first place I ever entered a show," Mandeville said. "That is where I got started so it is comfortable there. I'm always trying to rock the boat a little bit."

In the two and a half years it took to complete the hubcap painting, Mandeville also painted Guardian – featuring a little girl sitting next to a fence post with a horse nearby – which has earned him the People's Choice Award at the National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society Best of America Exhibit in Osage Beach, Missouri and RIP Old Girl of a vintage model Ford.

Mandeville is currently working on two new projects. The first is a close up of a 1952 Chevy truck and the latter, a bigger project, will focus on a Ford truck with flowers growing through the hood and the grill. Mandeville is experimenting with different types of frames for his artwork, the latest involves using powder coated metal frames, some with rust and other without.

The price tag on the Hubcap Art is $2,100 since it is one of a kind. All of Mandeville's artwork can be seen and purchased at his website at paintingsbymandeville.com.

"I'd like to try and enter it into some competitions and see how it does," Mandeville said. "But if people are interested they can give me a call."