Beyond Miniature

I've always loved small things. It might be because I'm small myself, but miniature anything fascinates me. Normally I like them to be big enough for me to see though. That is not the case with Willard Wigan's work, which I read about in the Washington Post today. Most of his work is small enough to fit in the eye of a needle and requires a magnifying glass to see. He started making furniture and an apartment building for ants when he was a boy and his mother encouraged him to take it even smaller. He has trained himself to have a steady hand and slow breathing when working on a piece, as the slightest movement could mess up the whole thing. As he said in the article, "Once, I inhaled Alice in Wonderland."

His work is on display at the Parish Gallery in Georgetown through January 23rd.



(Photos courtesy of The Washington Post)