With her long, dark hair and piercing blue eyes, Kasey Bergum has a presence that could be described as calming or unnerving, depending on whom you ask.
Her gaze is steady and she chooses her words thoughtfully; even her movements seem measured.

A tiny fleck of paint on her wrist is the only clue to her profession and passion - painting.

Bergum's art will be featured along with the work of seven other young, emerging artists in a new exhibition called FRESH, opening tonight at the A.L. Swanson Gallery with a reception from 6-8 p.m.

On a recent afternoon, Bergum's bohemian apartment was full of sunlight and color, and gave off a welcoming vibe. A Pez dispenser collection - "my retirement plan," Bergum jokes - was neatly lined up on a high windowsill.

The oil paintings that populate Bergum's apartment are either colorful abstract designs or portraits of intense looking women (Ani DiFranco and Angelina Jolie are two of them); both are wonderfully pleasing to look at.

"I think a lot of the lines I paint have to do with the rhythms that I'm feeling," says Bergum, whose main muse is the music she listens to.

Some of her favorites are Frank Sinatra, Ani DiFranco and her friend Bill Borneman's group, The States of Matter.

"You just feel a line and you just go with it. And I really like lines. I like sharp, crisp edges."

When asked, Bergum can only say she's been painting for "a long long time."

She became serious about making art in the eighth grade, and some inspirational teachers she had in high school encouraged her further.

"(High school) would have been unbearable if it weren't for art class," remembers Bergum, who grew up in the Helena area before moving to Great Falls after middle school.

Six years ago, Bergum moved back "to save up money to move somewhere else," but was surprised to find how much Helena had to offer.

"The arts community is alive and happenin,'" says Bergum, and adds that most of her family is in Helena.

"Now that I'm here, I don't want to leave," she said.

To make a living, Bergum paints houses by day, but would love to give up her day job and support herself by painting canvases instead.

"That would be fantastic," she said.

In the meantime, Bergum simply hopes to continue to evolve as an artist. At some point, she plans to attend college.

Bergum says the upcoming show will be her first in a gallery, but it's not the first time she's shown her work.

"People like it or they don't. That's fine. I like it," she said.

The FRESH exhibition is a new collection of art by some of Helena's young, up and coming artists. Other artists featured in the exhibition are Amy Brakeman, Emily Free, Jay Crider, Jon Ahmann, Trey Hill and Yvette McCormack. For information call 443-3342.