Art and trees combine for unique project by Wood Enderby artist

Over the last two years, more than 2,500 school children from across the county have joined artist Chris Wiles in an arts workshop programme exploring issues of growth, sustainability and biodiversity, with each child creating a miniature artwork in the form of a leaf.

At the heart of the project is a new woodland on the ancient and beautiful Scrivelsby Estate, near Horncastle, through the support of the Dymoke family.

Local schoolchildren and volunteers came together to plant more than 1,500 trees to create a 2.5 acre wood, with the generosity and support of local and national businesses.

Now, reproductions of the 2,500 small drawings – each a ‘self portrait in a leaf’ - are on display at The Collection in Lincoln, alongside original paintings by Christopher Wiles.

Culmination of Woodland Project

Exhibition at The Collection

The exhibition runs to Sunday, February 19; on Friday and Saturday, there is the opportunity to see the artist at work and talk to him about the unique process he has developed.

Thoughts from the artist

Christopher said: “These small works reflect a community’s thoughts, feelings and aspirations. Planting a tree is a tangible act loaded with a symbolic belief in and connection with the past, the present and the future. The way we experience the natural world has changed our relationship with nature.”