Wildflowers, landscapes in local artist’s work brighten Intermountain Health Cancer Center

September 12, 2025 at 10:21 AM EDT

Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional Hospital installed paintings for remodeled Infusion Center

(PRUnderground) September 12th, 2025

Talented Grand Junction artist, Cori Ward, has brought creativity and warmth to Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Cancer Centers of Colorado through her passion for painting the region’s beautiful surrounding landscape.

The cancer center will host an open house Sept. 13 to celebrate the recent remodel and expansion which includes several of Ward’s paintings.

Ward’s journey as an artist is a testament to her resilience and passion. A resident of western Colorado since she was a young girl, Ward developed a love for flowers, which are a recurring theme in her paintings. She pursued a degree in teaching at Colorado Mesa University and spent time teaching overseas, where she was inspired by the diverse cultures and people she encountered. Upon returning to Grand Junction, she worked with local high school youth and eventually earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health. Her experiences as a grief therapist at a hospice agency further deepened her connection to art as a powerful tool for communication and healing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ward began painting as a creative outlet and quickly gained recognition for her work. Her friends and family supported her passion project, which eventually grew into a successful art business, which she still calls a hobby. Her vibrant acrylic landscapes and florals have become a steady companion in her life, providing a simple yet profound creative outlet. She also works full time as a counselor for Fruita Monument High School.

Over the past few years as Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital planned the expansion and remodel project; they needed to find an artist to work with as they designed the project. Oncology nurse manager Vanessa Sprang recommended Ward for the job.

“Cori is full of love, compassion, and creative spirit,” Sprang said. “She embodies the core values of our cancer center, and her art is a visual expression of those values.”

The hospital acquired 12 of her pieces, including canvases that make up the 20-by-10-foot mural that serves as a Celebration Wall.

“Celebrating treatment milestones is an important part of the cancer journey,” Sprang said. “We wanted a beautiful space where patients and their loved ones could take photos of those milestones.”

This mural, featuring Mount Garfield, aims to inspire and uplift patients undergoing treatment.

“They told me that if people want to stay here for treatment and be close to home to receive care, then we want them to celebrate with an artist and a landscape that’s also from home,” Ward said. “They picked this giant piece as part of their Celebration Wall.”

For more information about Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Cancer Centers of Colorado, click here or call 970-298-7500.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.

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