An American artist has carved the face of Amy Winehouse in a mixture of frozen red and white wine.

Phil Hansen, 28, from Minneapolis, used a soldering iron to engrave the singer’s face into a block made from red Carlo Rossi, a Californian table wine, which he chose because he thought that its vivid colour suited her distinctive beehive silhouette. He then poured white Carlo Rossi into the grooves before freezing the image further.

“I really like Amy Winehouse,” Hansen said. “I think her music is phenomenal.”

He has melted the ice portrait to symbolise the self-destructive tendencies of the star, who won five Grammy awards this week, but could not attend the ceremony in Los Angeles because of visa problems.

Describing Winehouse’s battle with drink and drugs, Hansen said: “For me it was like watching her fall apart in front of us.”

His creation used about six litres of wine. It is the first time that he has used alcohol in an ice sculpture.

The frozen Winehouse is part of Hansen’s Goodbye Art series. “It is called Goodbye Art because there is nothing left of the picture after I am done with it,” he said. “I always destroy it or let nature destroy it.”

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