The Kitchen Mat and the Cat (2)

Even though a cat does not come when I call, it quietly appears when I do not expect it.  It is carefree, calm, and somehow proud. I love living with a cat like that. 

呼んでも来ないのに、来なくていい時にはそっと現れる。気ままで、のんびりしていて、どこか誇らしい。そんな猫と暮らす時間が、私は好きだ。

Measurement: 20cm (h) x 15cm (w)

About the artist:

Kanako Okamoto is a Japanese illustrator and picture book author born in Kyoto. Based between Tokyo and Malaysia, she creates picture books, editorial illustrations, and commissioned works for publishing, museums, and brands. Her notable projects include illustrations for UNIQLO Sustainability’s The Power of Clothing: The Journey of Clothes and a large-scale mural for the Insect Exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. In 2022, she published her picture book Swim Back Home (Oyoide Ie ni Kaeritai). Influenced by years of swimming and artistic swimming, her work captures the gentle flow and quiet rhythms of everyday life.