Bridget the Beloved Saint, detail of oil, 24″ x 48″, by Marilyn

Bridget, the Beloved Saint of Ireland and Irish people everywhere, is the subject of my latest painting. I shared the sketch a short while ago and it has gone very smoothly. My ability to paint for longer periods really makes a difference in the execution going so well.

Detail with Lamb and Fox for “Bridget the Beloved”, oil painting by Marilyn, in progress

Bridget as Archetype for Mother Earth Goddess

Bridget is known for her loving care, particularly as midwife for mothers everywhere, including baby Jesus by miraculous flight to Bethlehem. She is patron saint of all growth and nurturance, the cattle, the sheep, all woodland creatures.

Detail with Owls of “Bridget the Beloved” oil painting by Marilyn, in progress

She is sometimes shown to wear a mantle of green. Here her mantle is made of the overhanging oak leaves and her yellow-green scarf.

Somewhere in her lore is a little story about a favorite fox of the King which she saved and nurtured too. Here he is.

I draw on my own background of farm life and life in the country in this painting. My mind kept trying to make the connection as to how Bridget is essentially Archetypal, and it dawned on me just today—of course, she is the Mother Earth symbol as old as time! And she embodies Wisdom and Love most especially!

I welcome your comments. Hopefully next time I show her she will be all completed and I will be onto new paintings!