Coming out of the house one cold winter night, I turned around just for a second and there it was: Long cast shadows from a single porch light grabbed my attention. Strangely enough, I could only think about the Giant Octopus in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – its massive tentacle-like shadows held me spellbound. The painting was finished, but still not complete. Something was missing: a black cat. This time, symbolism had nothing to do with it: I simply love black cats. After bringing people into my studio, someone referred to the cat as a ‘Familiar’. Hence the title!