The final phase after the sculptures are complete is to paint them. Using his very own eyelashes at times or the hair from a dead fly as a paint brush, he has to paint quickly to avoid clumps or dry paint. It will be impossible to look at an ant, fly, or even a dust particle the same way again without thinking about Willard.

He enjoys the solitude, as he takes himself away to complete commissioned pieces and pieces that he wishes to sculpt. Celebrities like Prince Charles and Mike Tyson have purchased these spectacular works of art, which come complete with the microscope. Through this powerful microscope, you can see art pieces like a humorous Bart and Homer Simpson standing on the head of a pin. This piece was constructed with wire and nylon and took nine weeks to complete. When asked if there is any request that he ever had to deny, he confidently stated, "No”... To see what his hours, weeks, and months amount to, in dedication and patience, is meritorious.

His sculptures also consist of the First Family, Muhammad Ali, a golden Oscar, The Statue of Liberty, Alice in Wonderland with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, among many, many more - one hundred and sixty pieces to date. Perfectionism is quite evident in the unbelievable detail of his micro art. His impressive microsculptures are currently on a U.S. tour and 15 pieces are on exhibit at the beautiful Atlanta Art Gallery, in Atlanta, GA.

In 47 years, Willard ("the example of failure") went from a non-traditional education to a self-taught micro-sculptor, earning himself an MBE from the Queen of England. When asked how he felt receiving the MBE from the Queen, he said, "It is a great honor".

Being concerned with the little things in life has brought small back in a huge way. Willard believes "nothing is bigger than you think" and "less is more". This puts his art in a category all its own, and has earned his works the title, “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.

When asked what is the strangest thing anyone said to him after viewing one of his sculptures, his reply was, "Once someone said, ‘I've bought the work, but how do I know it's there?’", to which he replied, "Have a look"!! For fun, Willard enjoys flying one of the 200 miniature radio-controlled helicopters he has collected.

Willard tells his story proudly and chooses his words fastidiously, just like his artwork. Listening to his plight and journey is jaw-dropping, but to see the results is breathtaking. He is not pompous or arrogant, but quite sincere, and down to earth, and it made for a fun and relaxing interview. I believe his unique story will be made into a movie someday, so I asked him who might portray him in the movie about his life. He smiled and said, "I don't know, maybe Will Smith, or Jamie Fox".

Willard stated that in the future, he anticipates sculpting, "…great inspirational figures in the black community - people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, the Buffalo Soldier and Shaquille O'Neal, all brought down to size…", with a proud, smirk on his face. In closing, isn't it great when we don't question the path laid out for us, but simply follow it... It always leads to our Destiny!

Kimilyn Y. Allen
fifthgenerationjournal@yahoo.com