"Be the Best Number Two" by Alex Gardner is a 2021 oil on canvas painting that reflects the artist's signature blend of pop sensibility and introspective storytelling. Gardner's smooth, illustrative technique brings to life a vivid composition that plays with themes of ambition, identity, and the bittersweet nature of falling just short of the top. The work captures his characteristic use of bold color and figurative imagery to evoke a sense of emotional complexity beneath an accessible, almost playful surface.