Glass Cats by Shima Sugioka

Live with a cat and you notice that the same animal shows a different face depending on the day, even the hour. Eyes narrowed at the window. Looking straight up at you. Curled into a circle, asleep.

There is a group of works that seems to have caught exactly those expressions in glass, made by the glass artist Shima Sugioka.

Cats rendered with the clarity and soft coloring only glass can give. No two share the same face — one a little smug, one half asleep, one that looks as though it has something to say.

And the paw pads. Each cat has its own there too. These are the fine distinctions you only notice if you live with cats yourself, as the artist does.

Looking along the row, you start hunting for the one that is yours. It feels a little like the moment someone adopting a cat decides: this one.

Available at the Creators Market So. When you visit Otaru, do lean in and look at each little face.

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