The Second Sky began with pieces of crumpled paper encountered near the surface of water, whose folded shapes briefly resembled birds. In the painting, the paper form remains visible in the lower-left area, while a realistically painted pigeon appears in the upper-right. Placing the accidental resemblance and the living bird within the same image allows the water’s surface to become a second sky.

The gold-leaf ripples were inspired by an image of a lake at dusk, when the surface appeared to glow with golden light. The contrast between fragile discarded paper, the living pigeon, blue water and reflected gold explores how attentive observation can transform an ordinary environment without completely removing its original reality.