Wolverhampton artist Willard Wigan creates tiny guide dog

An artist famed for his microscopic sculptures has created a tiny guide dog puppy for charity.

Willard Wigan, 65, made the sculpture from a piece of porcelain dinner plate. It is mounted in the eye of a needle and painted, he said, with an eyelash.

The 'Puppy Daniel' art will be sold to raise money for the Guide Dogs Appeal.

The Wolverhampton artist said he empathised with people with sight loss and wanted to help.

Dr Wigan, who was diagnosed with autism aged 50, said reading and writing did not come naturally to him but his challenges led to him discovering his hidden talent.

He said the sculpture, which he named after a Guide Dogs fundraiser he met in a Birmingham coffee shop, "represents people that may feel unseen".

The artist added he was "motivated and moved by what Daniel was saying about helping and supporting visually impaired people" which resonated with his "own story of feeling unseen", with viewers of his work needing optical assistance to see it.

"I knew that I just had to partner with them and create a tiny micro sculpture as a homage to all their hard work and shine a light on to this amazing charity," Dr Wigan said.

He worked for 16 to 18 hours a day over two months to make the tiny dog using a minute piece of diamond as a tool.

The Guide Dogs, which has its National Centre in Bishop's Tachbrook, Warwickshire, has also named a 14-week Labrador puppy in honour of the artwork.

A charity spokesperson said the puppy would "hopefully go on to be as amazing as his namesake sculpture and change the life of someone currently living with sight loss".

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