Tom Forrestall, a well-known Nova Scotia artist, has traditionally painted on canvas but his latest project has him a little more mobile.
Mercedes-Benz Canada has hired Forrestall to paint his former car - a 1980 Mercedes Benz 300-SD. He started working on the project in November.
“It's really a huge painting. If you broke that down there would be probably be about 15 paintings,” says Forrestall. “Winter, from spring down here at the bottom, goes into summer.”
The car covers all four seasons, with plants and animal life familiar to all Maritimers.
“I was born and bred in the Annapolis Valley and Dartmouth, I grew up there, it's all Nova Scotia,” says Forrestall.
The paint Forrestall is using on the car isn't what he's used to working with; it's automotive paint used on each and every Mercedes in the world today.
“There's almost always, with every brush stroke, a challenge, and you're never sure if it's going to be right or not,” says Forrestall.
As he gives his old car new life, he is allowing the public to watch him work.
“Every time I come there's a little more each time and it's just neat to watch it as it grows,” says fan Kimberley Watson.
Forrestall says connecting with his community is something he learned from the late Alex Colville.
“I think one of the great things I got from the four years of studying with Alex, what a privilege it is to be an artist and to serve your community and I find I'm serving my community when I do this,” says Forrestall.
With his work almost complete, the car will soon be displayed at galleries across Canada and may even leave the country.
“It might end up in Germany, it depends on the reaction it gets across the country. If it gets a real good positive reaction they might want to see it in more places,” says Forrestall.
Fans can watch Forestall work on the project from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, at O’Regan’s Mercedes-Benz on Kempt Road in Halifax.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand
