Bridget Bryan

This lovely lady is a lively representation of St. Lucy, the patron of Sweden. Her feast day, December 13 is coming up! If you’re from Sweden, (or had the American Girl doll Kirsten), you may know of the tradition of the eldest daughter of the house dressing in a long white robe and red sash, donning a crown of greenery and glowing candles, and bringing warm Sancta Lucia buns and fresh coffee to the other members of the household.

My mother is baking the buns and selling some this year, and after talking about packaging, I volunteered to design a tag. This painting will be part of the tag.

I worked on her a little each day, and finished her the other night. I love how she looks so bright and cheerful in the darkness and how the Bialetti, a stovetop espresso maker, came out. Her thumb is a little weird. I learned how I could have made the background more solid…because of that I kinda like parts of the drawing better than the painting.

To read more about how St. Lucy, originally from Italy, because the patron of Sweden, read more here:

https://www.ingebretsens.com/culture/traditions/the-legend-of-sankta-lucia

Some more photos of the happy saintly lady:

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