HAVERHILL - On days when she was feeling sick because of chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, Suzanne Trottier would pick up a brush and start to paint images on a canvas.

"It took my mind off of what I was physically going through," said Trottier, 44, a librarian at Haverhill Public Library. "From the moment I was diagnosed with breast cancer I'd heard that people who belonged to support groups did much better in their recovery. So I signed up for a healing art class."

It worked so well that Trottier wants to share the artwork done by her and her classmates with the entire community, to give everyone a peek into how they managed to cope with cancer.

Their paintings hang in the library this month as an exhibit of hope and education - the artists believe painting helps them do more than relax, that it helps lower their blood pressure and even boost their immune systems.

Once each week for two and a half hours, a group of eight to 10 women who are cancer survivors or patients at Exeter, N.H., Hospital's Center for Cancer Care gather for a healing arts class led by professional artist Kathleen Robbins of Epping, N.H.

Trottier signed up for the art class about a year ago and attends it faithfully every week. She said it is not only an outlet for her creative side, but also an opportunity to connect with other cancer survivors and patients.

Because cancer patients are often under much stress during their treatment, getting involved in an art class is an opportunity to express their anxieties and fears, and to put a voice to their experiences, said Robbins.

"They are learning to look at the world in a different way, and it becomes a meditative experience," Robbins said. "When they are in art class they put aside their day-to-day challenges as they open themselves up to something new. That's what we are all about."

The healing art class is one of many nontraditional support services available to cancer patients. Others include yoga, Reiki healing, expressive writing and art therapy.

Cindy Vega, 45, of Stratham, N.H., was feeling consumed emotionally by the breast cancer her doctors had diagnosed. Every waking moment was spent worrying about the disease and what the future had in store.

"When I began coming to art class I spent less time thinking about the cancer and my treatments and more about the art," Vega said. "I've learned to look at things with an artistic eye, too. Now when I see a beautiful sunset I want to paint it."

The art therapy support group, which is led by art therapist Lori Nathan, is more psychotherapy and process oriented in terms of exploration of feelings and emotions, Nathan said, while Robbins' class often focuses on healing themes, such as creating collages that reflect a patient's life.

One of Vega's collages, which was done mostly in purple, represents different facets of her life. It includes the image of a dolphin, because she loves dolphins, and a penny, which represents her being thankful to God for the life she has.

"When I went through my surgery, I read a book titled 'Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster,"' Vega said. "The book suggested picking a color and letting your family and support group know about the color you picked. Friends gave me a purple blanket and a purple shawl, and my surgeon wore a purple sweat shirt prior to my operation."

One of Trottier's abstract paintings was the result of an art class where Robbins played meditative music and asked her students to begin their painting with just one color. Trottier began with cerulean blue.

"She asked us to pick one color and to pick one brush and to just play with it and to have fun and let go," Trottier said.

She titled her finished piece "Dancing with Colors."

Participating patients believe art brings these benefits:

* Lowers blood pressure by helping people relax.

* Meditative - when focusing on painting you are in the present moment, which has a meditative quality.

* Boosts immune system, which happens naturally when you are in a relaxed state.

* Meditation and relaxation boosts the body's T cells, which coordinate the immune system.



Art exhibit by cancer survivors and patients

When: Now through June 30

Where: Haverhill Public Library, second floor

Artists' reception: June 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.