In conversation : Toby Wiggins with Russell Woodham

FROM BILLHOOK TO BRUSH

What happened when a Dorset hedgelayer met award-winning artist Toby Wiggins?

It began with a normal winter’s day in the Dorset countryside. Through mutual friends, Russell’s hedgelaying caught Toby’s attention and soon the hedgelayer himself became the subject of an extraordinary portrait.

The painting travelled from the Dorset hedgerows to London’s Mall Galleries, where it was selected for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters’ annual exhibition.

Then came the twist…

Toby Wiggins won the prestigious Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture for the painting.

From billhook to brush, muddy boots to the Mall Galleries discover the  story behind the portrait.

All proceeds to Dorset Coppice Group.