Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son, as a means to escape the Island of Crete where they had been in exile. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea. Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos.
This mixed media illustration of Icarus flying too close to the sun is painted on a vintage wood tray.
This mixed media illustration of Icarus flying too close to the sun is painted on a vintage wood tray. The feathers are just that... feathers, held in place- as Icarus's were- by big heavy droplets of wax.
The entire painting is covered in a light coat of pure beeswax, which not only preserves the paint, but also gives it a very gritty look.
Just like your expensive deconstructed jeans, this painting has many flaws, which was my intention. They could easily be "fixed" but it would take away from the overall feel of the piece. This is one of my favorite things I've ever created.
The second portrait from my facebook friend photo project will be posted tomorrow, (July 18) so stay tuned :)
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