At Engravers Guild of London, it’s understandable that we like to keep abreast of all things about engraving.
When Obama gifted engraved items to David Cameron, we knew about it. When there was a mistake in the engraving at the Golden Globes, we knew about it. And when the engraver of the Wimbledon tennis tournament retired, we knew about it.
However, what we cannot fathom is… how we didn’t know about Willard Wigan at all until now.
Like a TV addict discovering “Game of Thrones” for the first time or an art lover making their first trip to the Sistine Chapel, for us to come across Willard Wigan is an almost spiritual experience.
Mr Wigan is a micro engraver.
When we use the word “micro”, we literally mean infinitesimally small.
So tiny are his creations that they must be viewed through a microscope to see them.
And so delicate must his touch be to sculpt them, he holds his hand still and uses the movement of his pulse to act as a chisel against the surface.
A feature of much of his work is that it is housed in the eye of a needle.
From nine camels to superheroes to nativity scenes and Henry VIII with his six wives, he has crafted wonderful and arresting scenes which simply take your breath away.
Mr Wigan’s obsession with making things ever smaller started at an early age.
When he was a child he disturbed an ants’ nest and, thinking that all the ants were homeless, set about making them little houses from wood splinters.
His mother, amazed at how small her son’s creations became, told him that if he kept making them smaller then his name would get bigger.
Today, Willard Wigan’s sculptures fill the pages of international publications, are gifted to some of the most famous people in the world and sell for large fortunes.
So great is his body of work that we cannot resist another feature on him shortly, so watch this space to learn more.