the mother

I love the way this work has a strong gradient from the top to bottom. The focus works well and the work isn't overly sharp so it has a generally soft feeling. The way the whiskers and fur are focused leave it so it fades into the background. This creates a nice blend between background and foreground.
The colour palette has nice tones of brown with slight blues which works oddly well together.
The simple background works excellently and doesn't distract from the subject. It also adds a bit of character by having the subject emerging from the darkness.
I think this work is an excellent display of technique.