BACKSTORY TO THE ART OF BRIDGET STREVENS-MARZO
Backstory of Bridget — A Real Girl
How One Painting Became a Focal Point in My Life
The year is 1966.
I am 16 years old. Soon to be 17.
My family goes to visit my grandmother in Hollister, California.
I become instantly enamored with the girl hanging on her wall.
The subject of the portrait: Bridget — by John Strevens.
I stare constantly at this painting, like Christopher Reeve in Somewhere In Time. Yeah, I’m almost that obsessed.
Why?
To me, the portrait of little Bridget represents both the strength and sweetness of the feminine archetype. And maybe she’s a little sad.
My grandmother, having noted my utter captivation, willed the portrait to me when she died.
Bridget became the centerpiece of my every household.
When I re-married in 1982 and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, Bridget became the subject of equal adoration by my new wife.
In 1999, she went into storage. Bridget, not my wife. We had already split by then.
