Willard Wigan, the globally renowned microscopic sculptor, has announced the launch of his own charitable Dog Trust to raise funds for the Kennel Club and Birmingham Dog’s Home.
Willard also announced that he is giving the chance to immortalise one lucky dog owner's four-legged friend - all in the name of charity.
The Birmingham-based artist, who made a microscopic crown for The Queen, was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records for his micro works of art. His endeavours have seen him awarded an MBE by HRH The Queen.
The sculptures that Willard creates are so incredibly small that he works under a microscope and employs ingenious tools, such as a fly's hair or an ex-girlfriend's eyelash for paintbrushes. This passion for the diminutive stems from feelings of insignificance in Wigan's childhood. He was severely dyslexic but undiagnosed, and his teachers' harsh words drove him to hide in a nearby shed where he made furniture for his friends, the ants.
"My work is a reflection of myself," says Wigan. "I wanted to show the world that the little things can be the biggest things. At school, I couldn’t express myself and felt like ‘nothing'. I wanted to experiment with the world that we can’t see."
On one occasion, whilst in his hiding place, Willard was found by a dog. The animal collected things for Willard and became a companion when he needed it most. This ‘man’s best friend’ scenario proved to be a fundamental influence on Willard’s love of dogs and the kindness shown by this particular dog caused an epiphany for the artist that would go on to inspire his charity and his latest masterpiece – and charity icon - Derek the Dog.
Derek the Dog is an immortalized Bichon Frise. The sculpture is no larger than 1/3 the size of a grain of sand and took an incredible five weeks to carve, yet its impact on the dogs’ world could be gigantic, as it marks the first fundraising activity for Willard’s new charitable Trust.
Wigan’s fundraising intentions are two-fold: the first is to invite the General Public to ‘Adopt Derek’ and help him to help other dogs in need. A donation of £15 will buy you a share in Derek's ‘adoption’ and help him raise much needed funds for these incredible dog charities – many of whom rely solely on goodwill donations.
Each ‘Parent’ will receive an adoption certificate and regular updates on Derek's Charity work and life. He will introduce you to some of his friends along the way, and you can keep tabs via a special link on his progress.
To ‘adopt’ Derek and help him with his charity work simply go to antidoteart.com select ‘Adopt Derek’ and add the number of ‘shares’ you would like to your basket. Each Parent will get their adoption pack with unique information and a special link that will allow you to uniquely follow his progress.
The second strand of his fundraising strategy is the unique chance to Immortalise Your Dog. The General Public – a nation of dog lovers – are being openly invited to bid for a chance for Willard Wigan to create a truly unique piece of microscopic work based around their four-legged friend. It is a legacy like no other that will live on forever more. To get involved with this, head over to antidoteart.com for more information.
Wigan comments: “This has been a really important work for me as I have been looking for an opportunity to raise money for dogs in need for a long time. As someone who loves animals and dogs in particular, it made sense to launch my own charity, using my skills and profile as an artist to raise funds and awareness for local dog’s homes and charities that struggle to run on donations alone. As a nation of animal lovers, I’m hoping the General Public will help me raise some much-needed funds for these incredible animals – it will make a massive difference.”
