The third sign was a discussion on trompe-l'oeil they had that evening, prompting them to paint a sculpture the same night in which de Shepherd took projections a step further. Here as elsewhere in The Flowering he is playing with the viewer's perceptions.
The exercise of distinguishing the organic from the
inorganic here is itself a projection.
The sculpture is their version of Vincent Van Gogh's Still life with
drawingboard.