Cassandra Barney

Cassandra Christensen Barney was born and raised in Orem, Utah, and received her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Brigham Young University in 2000. "I've had a passion for the craft of the portrait since I was a child. As a young girl, I visited museums around the world with my father, collecting postcards adorned with 16th century art. Exploring these simple images captured my imagination, unlocking a world of discovery. I love the art of storytelling, the layers of symbolism, and would create my own stories of these quiet women, making the paintings my own. Today I paint portraits that share my passion for storytelling while revealing my personal journey of transition and discovery."

As a child, I loved that the characters in art of the 16th century were not always pretty, but looked like regular people playing dress up. They find strength in their femininity. They are not vain, not beautiful and maybe some are melancholy and even show some sadness. We might wonder what they are thinking.
-- Cassandra C. Barney