I was in a very positive mood when I made this painting, this mood is reflected in everything in this artwork. The bird flies in a swaying wavy movement, displaying great happiness. The wings are painted in rainbow colours representing the full scale of joy, crossing the whole colour spectrum. The bird has a smile and is free, it is experiencing bliss!

The freedom of birds to soar so easily and high in the sky is unparalleled. The blue sky in the background with the light fluffy clouds support and complement the central image of the bird. Maybe this bird is me, with all my colours and my wish to just fly free!

The bird’s eye is very luminous and emphasises the sense of sight. Many of my paintings focus on the eye because that is very important to me as an artist. 

This painting is very typical of my work because it combines two of the main focus points in my art throughout my life, birds and the eye! The third theme that occurs frequently is monkeys, but my increased focus on these started after 2000.

I used many very thin layers one above the other in this painting, thus creating subtle shades. The surface of the painting is very flat and untextured. The interesting part of this painting is that it can be hung in two ways, that is, it can also be hung upside down.

When I last heard of the painting it was in New York, displayed in a tall building, high in the sky.