Sometimes it is, is the first canvas board painting in which Tillers incorporated stencilled words and phrases across the surface of the image. He used a font appropriated from the American conceptual artist Robert Barry, which he continues to use today. The use of text, poetry and philosophy would become a central part of Tillers’ practice.

The imagery in the painting is based on Ross Bleckner’s Poverty bouquet which was painted two years earlier in 1986. Bleckner is ‘famous for his poetic works mourning the victims of the AIDS epidemic. He is renowned for works that feature glowing lights and symbols of transience, such as hummingbirds, flowers, or flickering lights, acknowledging the brevity of all human existence.’