Local barista following dream of putting brush to canvas

When she is not busy helping make and serve some of Bigfork’s best cookies, pies and drinks, Cassandra Butterfield is busy getting back to her passion — art.

A barista at Lake Baked on Mill Street, Butterfield has been finding her way back into the art world after being forced to step away with the birth of her children several years ago.

“Getting my art going again was on my to-do list for years. Now that I have finally had the time to get back into it, that has been really nice,” Butterfield said. “Art is just something that I really enjoy doing. It is one of those things I can focus on, zone out and lose track of time. It is always nice to find something you can sit down and do and have hours pass without you even knowing it. That’s how you know that you truly love something.”

Working in an art space in the corner of her home that she shares with her 6 and 8-year-old children, Butterfield has recently enjoyed getting back into painting, especially animal images she takes from photos.

“I have been really enjoying acrylic painting and learning how to incorporate a lot of different textures with that. I also really enjoy 3D sculpture, but I haven’t done a lot of that because I don’t have my own studio space,” she said. 

“I would love for art to just be my job someday, but you have to start somewhere and work your way up. That is my dream, for sure.”

As coordinator of Bigfork’s Monday Market, Butterfield’s booth there is always filled with her artwork, which is what caught the eye of Bigfork Art and Cultural Center Executive Director Julie Bottum.

“Not only does she have this smile that invites everyone in, she also has these paintings with such warmth, color and energy that just captivated me right away. She has art that just needs to be seen, which is something I was able to help her with,” Bottum said. “She is a very quiet soul with a captivating and unique view of the world. You can tell where her spirit is.”

Butterfield’s artwork was featured in the BACC’s July exhibit, “Nature of Montana,” and Butterfield has been a regular at the center’s workshops ever since.

These days, Butterfield is continuing her animal motif, especially painting birds.

“The texture of the feathers is really fun to work with and there are also usually a lot of really fun colors involved. Anything with a lot of colors this time of year is really welcome to me,” Butterfield said. “I feel that it really brings the painting to life if the eyes are realistic, then you can be a little more abstract with everything else. As a viewer, if a part of the painting looks realistic, then our brains pretty much fill in the gaps.”