Oil on canvas, 80 × 60 cm, 2026

Ginger Baby captures a quiet moment of tenderness, care, and affection. Wrapped carefully in deep green velvet, the cat becomes the centre of an intimate exchange. Two redheads, one human and one feline, meet each other’s gaze and share a simple, deeply felt connection. Wait, do they? Notice the tension in that little triangle between the cat’s mouth and the finger - what if we witness a moment of overcoming fear? The cat is an animal after all, and for all we know, it might well use those sharp teeth right now! Is that why that hand is so tense? Or is it a moment of acceptance, perhaps? Woman’s lips are tight, we don’t really see the love in her gaze, we see her looking at the cat closely in a slightly “examining” way. Is it her deciding to pick up this stray? Which is why she cuddled it in one piece of fabric available, her own dress…

With this painting, I set myself several ambitious challenges: to create complex lighting with strong contrasts, sharp edges, reflections, and an active interplay of light and shadow; to build a dark, weighty background reminiscent of Rembrandt; to structure the composition around two opposing key colours; and to explore a range of textures.

I am especially pleased with how many of these elements came together, particularly given how much the work evolved during the process. I’m most proud of the hand and everything coming together in that space - shadows, cat’s face and the hand. Composition is looking good too. The sense of discovery and change became part of the painting itself. At the same time, there are aspects I remain less satisfied with - some passages feel overly tight, and perhaps too many stylistic languages meet within a single image.

Here is some Facebook feedback I’ve been given about Ginger Baby.