Artist Graham Short says he has produced the work he would most like to be remembered for.
Image source, Graham ShortAn artist who goes to extreme lengths to produce microscopic works has etched the Lord’s Prayer onto a speck of gold, inserted into the eye of a needle.
Graham Short said he hoped he’d be remembered for his latest creation.
The Birmingham artist has previously produced what is thought to be the world’s tiniest nativity scene and a picture of the Queen on a pinhead.
He uses Beta Blockers to slow his heart while working with a microscope at night to avoid vibrations of traffic.
“If a lorry went past outside it would feel like an earthquake through the microscope,” he said.
Image source, ANASTASIA JOBSON
The new engraving consists of 273 letters each 50 microns high, he explained.
“The thickness of a human hair is 100 microns – so each letter is half the width of a human hair.”
Describing the piece as his greatest work to date he added: “It’s the one I want to be known for, to be remembered for.”
He said the piece, worth an estimated £250,000, would be sold one day but he would be displaying it to schoolchildren first.
“The primary schools are the best ones,” he said. “The 15-year-olds aren’t impressed – they know it all at that age.”
Image source, Graham Short
Mr Short’s extreme lengths to stay still while working involve him taping a stethoscope to his chest in order to engrave between heartbeats and also having Botox.
“Every three months I have a course of injections into my eyelids and that ensures there’s no distractions from eye nerves or muscles when I’m working,” he told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester.
“I know it’s unusual.”
Another recent work features an engraving the names of all the winners of Cheltenham Gold Cup on the head of a horse-shoe nail.
“Somebody pointed out to me that had I waited until this year’s race in four weeks time, it would be 100 years of the race – so I’m going to hang on and hope last year’s winner wins again and then I won’t have to put their name on,” he said.
Image source, Graham Short
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk