An artist has used an eyelash to paint a tiny figure of a puppy within the eye of a needle to raise funds for the Guide Dogs charity.
Willard Wigan MBE, a renowned sculptor and judge on Channel 4’s Great Big Tiny Design Challenge, worked on the miniature figure for more than 16 to 18 hours a day over a two-month period.
He created the puppy sculpture, called Daniel, out of a broken piece of a porcelain dinner plate by chipping away at it using a minute piece of diamond, and using an eyelash as a paintbrush.
Wigan’s artwork, which even features whiskers made from fibres found floating in rays of sunlight, represents “people that may feel unseen”.
“The eye of a needle is difficult to thread, you really have to try hard to see what you are doing and you have to look closely to see Daniel,” the artist explained.
“Just because you can’t see it straight away, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Guide Dogs launched its appeal this October to raise funds to help people living with sight loss.
The charity, which began in 1931, provides mobility and guide dogs as well as supporting research and raising awareness for the visually impaired.
Wigan, who has autism and struggled with reading and writing, said he created Daniel to show that “people with sight difficulties are not unseen”.
He added: “We all possess talents that sometimes aren’t recognised until discovered and shared.”
While he was at school, the sculptor said he was told by teachers that he would “amount to nothing”.
But after he discovered he had a talent for microscopic art, Wigan said he decided to “show the world that small things matter”.
“It’s something the small things that matter the most and can leave the biggest impact on our lives,” he told the PA news agency.
“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean you can’t feel it or be inspired by it.”
Wigan was inspired to create Daniel after he met a fundraiser of the same name in a coffee shop in Birmingham.
“I was so motivated and moved by what Daniel was saying about helping and supporting visually impaired people,” he said.
“This resonated with my own story of feeling unseen and my work needing optical help to be able to make it and view it.
“I knew that I just had to partner with Guide Dogs and create a tiny micro sculpture as a homage to all their hard work and shine a light on to this amazing charity.”
A 14-week old yellow Labrador puppy that was born in June has been named Daniel in honour of the sculpture.
It is hoped that Daniel, the real-life puppy, will become a guide dog for someone living with sight loss in the future.
Wigan’s sculpture will go on sale this month, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Guide Dogs charity appeal.
Additional reporting by PA
