A chance meeting in a Dorset hedgerow resulted in an award-winning portrait – and now the artist and his unlikely subject are getting together to tell the story.
Dorset hedgelayer Russell Woodham was at work on a winter’s day when he caught the attention of artist Toby Wiggins. The encounter eventually led to Russell swapping his usual place behind the billhook for a rather different role, as the subject of Toby’s portrait.
The finished painting (right), showing Russell surrounded by the tools and materials of his trade, went on to be selected for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters’ annual exhibition at London’s Mall Galleries. There it achieved rather more than either man might have expected: Toby was awarded the prestigious Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture for the work.
Now the pair will reunite for From Billhook to Brush – an evening of conversation as the pair explore the story behind the painting, Toby’s work and Russell’s traditional craft – and the connections between art, landscape and Dorset’s hedgerows.
The event takes place at Bonsley Wood, Sturminster Newton, on 16th October at 7pm.
Tickets are £7.50, with all proceeds going to Dorset Coppice Group.
To book, and for further information, email [email protected]
The Dorset Life Community News section is sponsored by Wessex Internet
