Little King, Jesus in Egypt (greeting card)

Little King, Jesus in Egypt | 7”x 5” | Greeting Card
 
We read in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2...“
 
And when they [the wise men] were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
 
Now in Egypt, watching from the doorway, Mary may be pondering... “Has it begun? Who is he visiting with?” Well, it’s you, in this tender painting the regal Little King looks directly at you, the viewer, as if to say...
 
“I have been rescued from Herod, I am safe. I know who I am, and, I know who you are. I love you. I have come to rescue you. I can save you. Have faith in me. Believe me.Come, follow me.”
 
A bit about the development of the painting:I had rough ideas of creating this painting bouncing around in my head for quite some time, and assumed it would take place some time in the future. After all, I did not have the model. Then one day at church, this little boy was there. His parents had moved in with his maternal grandparents.
 
I was quick to share with his parents my vision for the painting, and happily they gave permission for their son to model for me. I was pleased to find out their son’s first and middle names are George Washington, kind of cool. His grandma made the little outfit and we did a photo shoot here at my studio.
 
This two year old boy could be described as perpetual motion. To get one whole image of him with all limbs and head standing still, I had to cut and paste from multiple images in Photo Shop. After living here just 7 months George moved with his parents to Canada for them to attend University. They were here just long enough.
 
The cat is of the Egyptian breed Mau. Cats of this breed have been found mummified in tombs. I presume these may be among those the Egyptians believed to be divine. I kind of like the idea of having one of these cats wanting to be friends with the little King.
 
The flower near the bottom right corner of the painting is an act of reverance on my part to Master Danish artist Carl Heinrich Bloch with specific reference to his painting The Burial, 1873, oil on copper.
 
"You should have the Art you Love."