Pastel Portrait of a Stranger – Curious Kitten, artist Iryna Belova-Smorzh

• Artist: Iryna Belova-Smorzh
• Title: "Portrait of a Stranger – Curious Kitten"
• Year: 2026
• Size: 25 × 35 cm
• Materials: dry pastel on pastel paper; framed with a passe-partout mat, framed size 30 × 40 cm
• Original handmade artwork

The work "Portrait of a Stranger – Curious Kitten" is a tender animal portrait of a fluffy kitten looking straight at the viewer. The little face is placed in the centre of the sheet, slightly above the middle, and the gently tilted head together with one paw stretched forward, visible below, creates a sense of movement: the little one seems to have just noticed something interesting and frozen still. Large dark eyes with bright highlights, a pink nose and long white whiskers draw the eye, while the tousled fur and pointed ears with tufts make the image touching. Around the figure, free space of a grey-beige tone has been left.

The work is executed in dry pastel on toned pastel paper. The artist conveys the fluffy fur with a multitude of short strokes and blended patches, while the fine white lines of the whiskers and individual hairs are drawn on top with a light, confident movement. Around the figure, light pastel scatters in loose strokes, creating an airy halo that gradually dissolves into the tone of the paper. The eyes are rendered with particular care, and it is they that bring the image to life. At the bottom of the sheet the artist's signature, with the name Kyiv and the year, is applied in white pastel.

The colour scheme is built on soft natural shades: brown, umber, cream and silvery-grey tones of fur combine with subtle touches of ochre, peach, turquoise and pink. The grey-beige paper makes the palette restrained and warm, while light bluish strokes around the head add freshness. The work creates an atmosphere of cosiness, tenderness and the quiet joy that comes from spending time with a small pet.

Iryna Belova-Smorzh was born in Kyiv in 1964; in 1986 she entered the Faculty of Architecture of the Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute and later founded an interior design studio. Since 2020 she has worked mainly in pastel and graphic techniques. Her art is based on portraiture and is distinguished by a special sensitivity to character and inner world: she is drawn to subtle details — expression, gesture, light and atmosphere.

The work is framed with a passe-partout mat and is ready to hang; thanks to its compact size it will fit harmoniously into a bedroom, a child's room, a reading corner or a hallway, and it also looks good grouped with other small works. The pastel palette suits interiors in light, beige and grey tones. This work will make a touching gift for a woman who loves cats, as well as for anyone who values cosiness and warm domestic subjects.