Soulful art with meaning
Article and photo by Kathy Fallert; photo courtesy of Cassandra Babtkis
Babtkis has participated in multiple art fairs such as Body Mind Spirit Expo, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Denver and the 16th Street Fair in Denver (pictured above), where she sells her paintings and photography.
Cassandra Babtkis is an artist with a great deal of intuition. Originally from California, Babtkis relocated to Colorado in 2010 and attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies with minors in studio art and English creative writing from Denver University. She moved to the Royal Hill neighborhood of Castle Pines in 2018, where she now lives with her husband, Eugene Gelmanovich, and their two dogs Jax and Darla.
Babtkis’ mom passed away about three years ago, and in an effort to heal, Babtkis took a solo trip to Japan. There she had a revelation that she should start her own art business. Babtkis did just that, and created Sensitive Soul Fine Arts.
“My intuitive side has been strong since I was a child,” she stated. “After pursuing art as a full career, I noticed a shift in how some people deeply connected with my art.”
Babtkis creates art using different techniques, media and photography that show a unique vantage point that she turns into something called Energy Portraits.
Babtkis creates an Energy Portrait after connecting with her subject at a home in Castle Pines.
Energy Portraits are a distinct combination of acrylic finger painting and the spiritual energy Babtkis feels from her subject. Babtkis explained, “I start with easing my client into a relaxing meditation while they sit in front of me. I then close my eyes and reach my hands towards them. I can tell our connection is forming when I get a tingling sensation in my fingertips, which is why I paint Energy Portraits with my fingers instead of a paint brush. I then start to see different images as I focus on my client. These can range from symbols to colors to specific scenery. I then paint these images on the canvas in an abstract style.”
At first glance, it may be a bit difficult to understand the images in an Energy Portrait. Babtkis continued, “The intuitive side comes in when I interpret the images and express them to my client. This conversation can be emotional, but very therapeutic. My process has developed and evolved over time, where now I can create an Energy Portrait for someone I’ve never met, just simply from seeing a picture of the person.”
Babtkis honors her mom with every signature she puts on her art. She uses the letter “C” for her mom’s first initial then “+1”. Babtkis’ mom was always very supportive of her art and photography and hoped Babtkis would pursue her passion. Babtkis explained, “We would always say ‘I love you’, ‘I love you more’, ‘I love you plus a million.’ We would go back and forth building up to the highest amount and then adding ‘plus 1’ to the end of it. Including ‘+1’ in my signature is how I honor her with every photo I take and every piece of artwork that I make and share with the world.”
To view more of Babtkis’ work or to learn more, visit www.sensitivesoulfinearts.com.
