A DIFFERENT PICTURE ART SHOW TELLS ABOUT CANCER.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY -- Art might not be stocked on the drugstore shelf, but for some who have cancer, it can be balm for what ails them.

Heather Warrick, 37, who has had seven relapses since she was diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago, is not an artist, but has always wanted to be one.

``As a survivor, I feel I need to express myself in some way,'' she said. ``I (wrote) poetry, and always wanted to try art, and thought maybe others did as well.''

Warrick organized an art show displaying five of her works plus 46 in various media from 30 other cancer patients at the American Cancer Society's office in Canyon Country.

The show is on display indefinitely, at the American Cancer Society, 20655 Soledad Canyon Road, Suite 170.

The artists wrote testimonials to accompany their works.

The testimonial beside Karen Kaufman's ``Wish Box'' describes how the sculpture reflects her ``lighthearted intention'' to remain close to love and gratitude for her life, and reflects on how cancer might be her adversary, yet it does not define her life.

Cyndi Lingua, who displays three watercolors in the show, taught many grades during her 25 years in the Newhall School District. For nearly 12 of those years she used one motif, included in the show -- a rose -- as a lesson for students to paint roses as Mother's Day gifts.

``Art is the most loving piece of productivity I can create, because I'm putting my whole heart into it and giving it away to be enjoyed by another person or family,'' she said. ``In kind of a way, it's like leaving a legacy behind. I'm working hard to beat this cancer, but you never know.''

Warrick, manager of health programs for the American Cancer Society's Santa Clarita Valley unit, has been in constant treatment for the past three years, having been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer, for which she says there is no cure.

Cancer has spread to her lymph nodes, her chest wall, her bones, her brain, her clavicle and one of her eyes.

``But I look at it as having a chronic disease,'' Warrick said. ``I'm living with cancer, but with the latest advances it's becoming more of a chronic disease than a deadly one.''

Katherine Spangle, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society, said Warrick and her husband, Chad -- who were in the same elementary school classes, and attended the same junior high and high schools in Canyon Country but did not meet until five years after graduating from high school -- have embraced Heather's health as something to champion for the rest of their lives.

``She has always refused to be a victim of her diagnosis,'' Spangle said. ``I think at this point she actually celebrates her cancer because, being a cancer patient herself, she can reach other cancer patients in a way no one who hasn't suffered from the disease can.''

Therapists who are not specifically trained in art therapy use it, primarily with children, to help them express thoughts and feelings they might not be able to verbalize. Certified art therapists use art as the primary treatment tool with all ages. Warrick's idea to use art as a bridge works, her husband says.

``I think it's therapy for cancer patients and people battling the disease,'' said Chad Warrick. ``For people looking at the art, they realize the battle these people are going through and it helps them understand the disease more and the challenges these people are facing.''

His wife's photo collage pokes some humor at one of the challenges. Years of cancer treatments have rendered her unable to bear children, but she and Chad are the proud parents of Farley, 3, Archie, 7, and Gus, 9 -- all pugs.

``They are our children, our love, our life,'' Warrick said with a chuckle. ``Like kids, they are high-maintenance, but they're worth every bit of it.''

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Cancer survivor Heather Warrick shows one of the paintings she did for the ``Journey of Healing'' art show presented at the American Cancer Society. The artwork now on display has all been produced by cancer victims and their families.

David Crane/Staff Photographer