Georgetown woman fights MS through her art

When Judi Bartnicki's brain tumor was removed in 2000, she thought function would return to her numbed left side.

But, she said, "I couldn't feel anything. They did tests and I had full-blown multiple sclerosis."

Bartnicki's goal was to work again as an artist. "I kept trying and trying and trying and crying and crying and crying," she said.

Aggressive treatment was recommended, and Bartnicki, who lives in Georgetown, endured three years of grueling chemotherapy.

"I wouldn't wish for anyone to go through what I went through," she said. "But you can't lie down. You have to get up and fight or you are going nowhere."

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.

She is left-handed, and her left arm and hand had no feeling. Efforts to draw with her right hand were unsuccessful.

Then her partner, the late David Richardson, began taping a paint brush or pen to her left hand, which allowed her to create her signature pointillist pictures -- images created by pen-and-ink or painted dots.

"It's unbelievable I am able to do this," said Bartnicki, 55, surrounded by her drawings in her apartment in the Trestle Way Housing Complex for the elderly and disabled.

"It was hard enough to do when I was well, but it's a miracle to be able to do this with MS."

Bartnicki has turned her abilities into a crusade to help find a cure for MS. She donates proceeds from her original artwork and limited-edition prints to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central New England chapter, and to Athena Reitano, a 5-year-old Carver girl who has metachromatic leukodystrophy, an aggressive form of MS.

"This art has meaning now," Bartnicki said. "It's not just art; it's powerful."

Her latest charitable project is a series of portraits of Red Sox players. The autographed originals will be auctioned and limited-edition prints sold to benefit the MS Society and Athena.

"The fact she has her own issues to deal with and would come to our aid at the same time is spectacular," said Athena's mother, Renee Reitano.

For two months, Bartnicki has been working around the clock to create portraits of four Red Sox players -- Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Jonathan Papelbon, and Mike Lowell. She worked from photographs provided by the team and hopes eventually to draw the entire roster.

"It's mind-blowing," said Carolyn Hall of the Red Sox organization. "She goes through so much pain to create hundreds of thousands of dots.

"It's incredible she is able to create such great works of art with the limitations she has."

It's through Hall that Bartnicki hooked up with the Red Sox. Hall e-mailed Bartnicki to order a print she was selling to benefit Athena. When Bartnicki saw the Red Sox e-mail address, she asked Hall about doing portraits of the players for charity.

"I thought it was a good idea," Hall said. "The Red Sox is such a great market, and we reach so many people."

Steve Sookikian, director of communications for the Central New England chapter of the MS Society, said of Bartnicki: "We keep finding ways to work together and her idea of the Red Sox prints is amazing."

He also sees her as a model for others with MS. "It's inspiring to seeing her so committed to taking action against her own disease."

Bartnicki has a molded brace for her left hand, which helps her draw, and she benefits from drug therapy.

But she must battle fatigue, a symptom of MS, which she describes as "sinking in quicksand."

"I really pushed" to finish the Red Sox pictures, she said. "I poured my heart and soul into them." She said it usually takes between 100 and 600 hours to create the pointillist pictures. She spent 57 hours on each of the 11-by-14-inch Red Sox portraits.

"This is the first time I've gone this fast," Bartnicki said. "I eat, I paint, I sleep, going around the clock."

But she didn't sacrifice detail. "I worked three days on one face to make sure I had it just right," she said. "If you make one mistake, you are done; you are starting all over."

WBZ radio personality Jordan Rich has become a friend and supporter. He's had Bartnicki on his show the past few years to talk about MS and features her art on his website. Bartnicki also created a portrait of his family for the sunroom in his home.

"It's just amazing the amount of work and detail it takes to do this, anyway," Rich said. "The fact she does it with such great talent despite her MS is just amazing."

As for her charitable work, he said: "I think it speaks volumes about how a piece of art can have more than just an impact on the viewer. Her art can help people raise money and awareness, and give people hope."

For Bartnicki, it's simple. "If I can help them make money to find a cure, I'm going to do it. It's my whole future. I'm out to help people, and help myself."

This is MS Awareness Week. For more information, visit nationalmssociety.org/MAM/home, jordanrich.com , and athenashope.org.