The tale of Icarus is one of ambition, freedom, and tragic downfall. Icarus is the son of Daedalus, a skilled craftsman who creates a pair of wings for himself and Icarus using feathers and wax. They are imprisoned on the island of Crete by King Minos, and Daedalus devises this plan to escape by air, warning Icarus to fly a middle course: not too low, where the sea's dampness could weigh down his wings, and not too high, where the sun's heat could melt the wax.

Overcome by excitement and the thrill of flying, Icarus ignores his father’s warnings and soars higher and higher towards the sun. The heat melts the wax holding his wings together, causing him to plummet into the sea and drown. This story is often seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and overambition.

In these works, Johnson aims to capture the sensations of falling and tumbling through the air, as well as the transformation of flesh into feathers. The artist seeks to depict that transformative moment of descent, where human form disintegrates into something more ephemeral.

Johnson is particularly struck by the imagery of Icarus cradled by the waves as he fell into the sea, with feathers scattered around him. This moment, where the sky meets the sea, represents the final, quiet embrace of the ocean as it claims him, contrasting the earlier chaos of his fall. The scattered feathers in the works serve as remnants of his failed attempt to transcend human limitations, now gently floating on the water's surface.