Art so small you can't even see it

Dec 9, 2009

When I was a girl, I used to stare at little mushrooms in the yard, hoping to catch a glimpse of a teeny leprechaun family.  I'm not sure why I thought leprechauns were so minuscule, but I was convinced that a mini magical world be revealed to me if I sat there long enough. 

When UK artist William Wigan was a child, he not only dreamed of a miniature world, he created one.  He used to make tiny homes for ants, and then little hats and shoes!

Nearly fifty years later, Wigan is still creating minuscule art.  Wigan spends months at a time on each minute sculpture.  And the finished work is so small, it's like looking at a dust speck.  Most of his works are mounted in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.  He's even used a human lash as a base for one of his works!


This past summer, Wigan's art was recently on tour in the U.S.  Viewers had to look through microscopes to see his works of famous landmarks, significant figures, and entertainment icons.  Some of his subjects included Marilyn Monroe, the Incredible Hulk, the Statue of Liberty, and the Obama family (mounted, by the way, in the eye of a 24k gold needle).

To see more of his unbelievable work, visit Wigan's website here


3 comments:

jill bliss said...

wow, i can't even imagine how he creates those!!

Cathy said...

I know, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it! I read that he uses an eyelash to paint his sculptures- amazing!

Anonymous said...

This is amazing. The girls were totally impressed. I would love to see one of his exhibits. I want proof. (:

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