Willard Wigan Sculpts Tiny Things for a Bigger Cause

By Linda Marx | Monday, November 15, 2010 3:07 PM ET

Years after a teacher told dyslexic Willard Wigan that he was academically inept and would never amount to anything, the world renowned microsculptor has dedicated much of his life to helping schoolchildren overcome adversity.

At age five in his native Birmingham, England, Willard Wigan’s life was a nightmare because his school days were so miserable.

"My teacher told me I was a consequence of failure and the reason the word was put in the dictionary," says Wigan, now 53. The world famous artist creates tiny, intricate sculptures of famous people like Cameron Diaz, Diddy, President Obama, Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey that rest on the eye of a needle and can be seen only through a high-powered microscope. "I was discouraged with school and lost interest in everything. I would go home and hide in a shed."

Thanks to encouragement from his mother, Wigan found his own bliss. He began to make little houses for the ants that crawled around their family garden. Soon after, he built the ants their own tables, chairs and carousels, then added cups and saucers for little ant parties. He even talked to the ants. And while they didn’t respond, he knew they loved what he did.

"My mom made me return to school but my mind was never there again," he says. "My microsculpting just evolved over the years. Whenever I come to the US to show my work, I make a point of visiting the area schools of the city I am in and encourage the kids to be aware of their own potential."

Last week, the award-winning sculptor opened his first US gallery space for Miami’s upcoming Art Basel (Dec. 2-5). Already, he has visited five Miami area schools: Beth Am Day School, Overtown Youth Center, Coral Gables High School, Ransom High School and Gulliver Pinecrest.

"I want to inspire kids to overcome adversity and feel they can do anything they want even if they have insensitive teachers like I did," says Wigan. "My work is a message that success is within, even if it doesn’t come overnight. Kids need to know if they have problems they can overcome them. And sometimes one problem compensates for something else. I believe good can come from bad situations."

The school presentations include a Q&A session where the kids interact with the artist. They also get to view his pieces of basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and "Princess and the Frog" through a special microscope-enhanced case.

Wigan’s microsculptures measure smaller than a human blood cell. Many of his creations can only be calculated by microns, a common unit of measurement for wavelengths and infrared radiation.

Working under a microscope where he is careful to sculpt in the second and a half between heartbeats, Wigan constructs highly detailed and colorful works that rest on pinheads, diamonds and inside the eye of a needle. He has trained himself to hold his breath for up to three minutes at a time, and controls his pulse before using it as a jackhammer.

He works at home with his own tools — a diamond chip acts as a scalpel and a hair from a dead housefly becomes a paintbrush. He also uses bee honey as adhesive, dust fibers, clothing threads, diamond dust, granules of sugar and grains of sand.

His newest piece is called "Cupid" and is his smallest. It is undetectable by the naked eye. Only through the microscope does the angelic figure come to life with a 24-karat-gold bow and wings created from the housefly.

"Willard’s talents defy description," wrote HRH Prince Charles, a Wigan collector, for the artist’s brochure.

"I want young children to know that the smallest things can make the biggest impact," believes Wigan, who was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) Award from the Queen of England in 2007. "My teacher made me feel small, but I rose above her. I will spend the rest of my life teaching this lesson to others."

For more Willard Wigan visit www.Wiganart.com or Willard Wigan Gallery 3252 NE First Avenue Suite #105 Miami, Florida 33137 (786) 398-4295.

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