The contrast between the ginger tabby's face, in planes of orange, red, green and blue, and the quiet world beyond the visor captures the helmet as a small room with its own air, reflecting how a shy and vigilant creature looks out in safety. Cat Astronaut sets a house cat's gaze against floating bubbles, a greyish cream sky and a rising turquoise expanse, holding the familiar inside the unfamiliar.

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My cat, Squash, was sweet and shy, and years of bullying by another cat made her vigilant. I painted this piece in acrylic on Yupo paper during those years, finishing it in October 2023.