Meet Willard Wigan, Nano Sculptor

If you haven't heard about this amazing artist by now you are definitely missing something. Willard Wigan is British born and creates sculptures out of grains of sand, sugar and rice. Born in 1957, Wigan had learning disabilities while growing up which led to both peer and teacher humiliation. He has said that as a child, teachers made him feel small, so he set out to prove that indeed, less is more, and "nothing could be everything." His work is measured in thousands of an inch, or even fractions of a millimeter, sitting on top of pinheads and between the eyes of needles, even on the end of an eyelash.

Wigan started this micro-art at about the age of six, when he retreated into his own world when he couldn't keep up with school (due to dyslexia). He created houses and playthings for ants, for which he had a fondness. To coax them to play on these creations he coated the tiny bits of wood with sugar and honey.

This micro-art takes months to create just one sculpture. He works in between heartbeats so as to avoid hand tremors, he says, the pulse of your finger can destroy your work. So it is necessary for him to control his entire nervous system, and work between breaths.

He creates his work under a microscope and paints them with a hair he plucked from the back of a fly (it was already dead, he did not kill it for the sake of his art). Some of his amazing sculptures include Santa Claus, Henry VIII and his 6 wives, The Titanic, and a boxing ring with Muhammad Ali (just to mention some). He says he works at night, when the dog isn't around. His personal favorite is one of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, all of which fit on the head of a pin. This piece of art is, amazingly, only three times larger than a red blood cell.

Wigan's 70-piece collection was purchased by David Lloyd, businessman and tennis player from the UK, which he then insured for 11.2 million pounds. For the past four months, Wigan has been re-creating (on commission) Lloyd's building, which was designed by the award-winning architect, Lord Richard Rogers. When completed, this piece of art will sit on the head of a pin.

Wigan received his MBE in July 2007 for services to art. He is the only (known) person who is able to create works of art at this micro-level.

There is soon to be an exhibit of Wigan's work at the David Lloyd Gallery, as well as other art pieces of art at the Birmingham Mailbox. There will then be a tour to take place throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

His inspiration comes from landmarks and great people. His ultimate goal? To carve atoms.