While doing research about icons, I realized that the vast majority of results are modern graphic icons. However, one of the original meanings of the word has to do with a religious symbol/object.
My background in Russian Filigree inspired me to include this aspect in my piece. The 'riza', an icon cover usually made from opulently ornate metal (often in Filigree), protects the painted icon that it covers, by just sparing the the face and hands.
I was interested in combining these two meanings of the word icon.
I chose a gun to symbolize the presence of violence that surrounds us in real and digital realities.
The frivolous and painful combination of these elements results in a piece which might be seen as inappropriate and provoking. This is an aspect that I am intrigued by.
The title of the piece, "The Second Icon", refers to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, the right to keep and bear arms. The small enamel drop symbolizes the incomprehensible suffering that has been caused by gun violence.
A small detail: the outline of the gun is taken from a Glock 19, by Glock-Perfection.
Gaston Glock, the founder, is an Austrian national like myself. He is a billionaire.