Salt
A collection of projects dedicated to my dear companion and grey tabby cat, Salt.
Salt became a part of my family when I was in 2nd grade, along with his sister, Pepper. We named him 'Salt' after his white paws, and Pepper after her dark spotted coat. For thirteen years of my life, Salt watched me grow up, moved all over the country with us, and stayed by my side.
Drawings from Life
Ink painting, using gum arabic as masking fluid on illustration board
I painted this at Savannah College of Art and Design, while my family lived with Salt across the country. A couple weeks into the project, my mom called and told me that Salt was becoming sick. On October 24, he was put to sleep due to a rare cancer, sarcoma. I was still away at college that day. A few days later, I finished the painting and presented it in class. Interestingly, while painting him, I felt his presence as if he was sitting beside me.
My first drawing of Salt after his passing
Whenever Salt was beside me, he always kept one paw touching my arm or leg. He posed for selfies, and was very social and friendly. I could never leave a bowl of cereal unattended, because he would lick up all the milk as soon as I took my eyes away. He watched birds on TV and sat in drawers that were left open. I illustrated him nine times (symbolic of a cat's nine lives) and portrayed him as a purple spirit.
"Celebrating Salt"
Illustration & Animation
"Red Thread of Fate"
More about this project here.
Thank you, Salt, for watching over me after all these years!