Icarus II

Icarus II - Ink Painting on Gold Lead Paper

About Icarus 2

The Greek myth of Icarus is well known, it tells the story of Icarus who ignored his father’s warnings and trying to escape from Crete (another story), flew too close to the sun.  The wax that fastened his wings to his back melted and he fell to his death.

I love this story and have repeatedly returned to it as a metaphor for mankind’s struggle with the acceptance of climate change and the massive impacts global warming are having on the natural world.  The sixth wave of extinctions and ultimately our own demise if we do not alter our behaviours, is basically the message here. I fell in love with the use of ink as a painting media a few years ago, inspired by an amazing exhibition at the V&A of ancient Chinese scroll paintings.   Those scrolls depicted and celebrated scenes of nature and natural beauty.

Tales of social and sexual interactions played out and acted as a commentary on society and it’s relationship with the environment. I have an armoury of beautiful Japanese watercolour and ink brushes and allow the ink to wash, pool and ‘bleed’ wet into wet, a style of painting called e-sumi. The simple wing with gold-leafed wing tips and sun feels eastern in it’s simplicity but also very contemporary and graphic.   The acrylic boxes allow the paper to float off the wall, which is very beautiful. The slight undulation of the paper is allowed to remain, giving it a sculptural feel.

Dimensions:  74cm x 74cm (x2), 2cm depth

Shipping: Free shipping in greater London. For other shipping options and international shipping visit the contact page and get in touch!