Feast of the Holy Family

"St. Joseph and Jesus Devotional, Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur, 

Aix en Provence," 1  3/8" x 1  15/16"  egg tempera on vellum, 

(in progress)

Although I am not Catholic, I believe in certain Catholic traditions, such as the saints, and how they can help us.  I have been working on this miniature since before Christmas, and in Catholic tradition, today is the "Feast of the Holy Family," so it feels like the perfect time to post my progress on Joseph and Jesus.  As a Patron Saint, home and family are Joseph's realm.

The subject for this painting is a lovely devotional statue I photographed at historic Holy Saviour Cathedral in Aix en Provence during my stay in southern France.  I love the feeling of intimacy and the preciousness of the baby Jesus in this particular statue, and found it very inspiring to paint.  It was also special that someone had placed a real green branch upon the figures.  I plan to fine-tune this one further.