That’s exactly the point of Louie’s flower series.

"I want to bring happiness to everyone who sees my work," says Louie, 59. "I want to bring positive energy and joy."

Louie’s work will hang in a public area in the new wing of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. Louie is one of about 15 artists from the Sacramento region who have been commissioned by UC Davis Health System to create pieces for the Cancer Center expansion.

"Everybody’s life has something to celebrate. Everybody’s life leaves a mark behind."

~ Brenda Louie

The artists, who work in an array of mediums, were initially selected by an art advisory committee of cancer center faculty and staff. Committee members viewed past works by scores of candidates and selected artists whose work captures a tone of healing, wonder and joy.

"In my mind, art is always the crowning jewel of the building," says Nancy Gordon, a senior project manager who oversees the health system art program. "Once it’s installed, it feels like the building is complete and ready for the staff to do their great work."

Gordon says the committee, working with Susan J. Willoughby, an art advisor for the health system, wanted to select art that would appeal to a broad range of people — children, adults, seniors and people from different cultures.

Indeed, the collection of new art is diverse. It ranges from photographs of second graders making wild faces for the camera to delicate ink prints of photos of Inle Lake in Myanmar.

"Hospitals can be pretty scary places," says Willoughby. "We want people to feel as though we care about them...to have something reassuring."

"It is my hope that (the photos) ground them and create a sense of balance for the kids going through the space. It is about raising spirits."

~ Kurt Fishback

Kurt Fishback, the artist who took the photos of the second graders from Woodlake Elementary School in Sacramento, has a similar goal for his photographs, which will hang in the pediatric clinic.

"It is my hope that (the photos) ground them and create a sense of balance for the kids going through the space," says Fishback. "It is about raising spirits," he adds, suggesting that the "spirit of the child helps the healing occur."

The committee worked to select artists who live and work in the area served by the health system. Some of them, such as Fishback, have been local fixtures on the art scene for decades. Louie is a well-known art professor at Sacramento State University. Other artists are lesser known, but given their talent may be up-and-comers.

Jimenez, whose father was born and raised in Mexico City, says her heritage inspires her to showcase bright colors.

Willoughby says artists often want to be affiliated with UC Davis Health System because it is becoming known as a "significant collector" of art. Artists’ names are displayed with the pieces.

"Every piece has an identifying plaque," says Willoughby. The health system usually does not buy just one piece from an artist, but up to three, she adds.

"We want it to look like a cohesive collection," says Willoughby.

The art pieces will be the last items to be placed in the new wing. Each piece is selected to reflect a tone for that particular room. Art chosen for the center’s new pediatric unit will appeal to both parents and children.

"Even our kids’ pieces are somewhat sophisticated," says Gordon. "I feel like the art should not be too pediatric in nature. It should also appeal to the parents, who are there as much as the children are there."

Indeed, many of the pieces selected for the new wing of cancer center reverberate with humor — along with light, color, whimsy, fantasy, joy, contemplation, awe and tranquility.

The work of artist Maggie Jimenez also was selected for the pediatric wing. Jimenez creates from a whimsically decorated studio in the back of her Land Park home in Sacramento. She works with a multitude of mediums, including clay and glass.

The pieces selected for the pediatric area are fused glass. One, called Big George, features a big, red dog. Another, Green Grocer, displays a clownish-looking man in a top hat, surrounded by carrots and holding an apple and a crow. The pieces howl with bright colors.

Jimenez, whose father was born and raised in Mexico City, says her heritage inspires her to showcase bright colors.

As for the playful nature of her work, she chalks that up to her former teaching career in Sacramento.

"When you teach middle school for 25 years, you have to have a sense of humor," says Jimenez. "If you don’t, they will eat you alive."

Indeed, many of the pieces selected for the new wing of the cancer center reverberate with humor — along with light, color, whimsy, fantasy, joy, contemplation, awe and tranquility. The entire UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center collection — like art itself — seeks to capture the human experience.

"Everybody’s life has something to celebrate," says Louie. "Everybody’s life leaves a mark behind."