Nov 20, 2009
Willard Wigan: Micro-sculptor
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By: Luke Gilman | Other Posts by Luke Gilman Go to Comments | Be the First to Comment |
Willard Wigan’s work – creating sculptures so small, sometimes in the eye of a needle, that they’re often invisible to the naked eye – started with his childhood. Undiagnosed but severely dyslexic, his feelings of insignificance gave him an appreciation for the unseen. Hiding in a shed while avoiding school, he began making home for his friends the ants, then shoes, then hats.
His creations grew smaller and smaller as he honed his craft, learning to enter a meditative state in which his heartbeat is slowed to reduce movement in his hands. He holds his breath and sculpts between heart beats.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Wigan’s sculptures are expressive as well as novel. My favorite is the Hulk, in which the needle is broken by the tiny Hulk’s brute strength.
Willard Wigan recently published an illustrated autobiography, I Spy with My Little Eye, recounting the story of how he learned his craft.
Website: Willard Wigan
