Secret Sanctuary-Chapter 10

Chapter 10 —Secret Sanctuary- The Healing Garden Collection

I almost didn't paint Henry.

I had never put a bird in a painting before and I was afraid it would feel cliche. Predictable. Like something you'd see on a greeting card and forget immediately.

But he insisted on being there. Right in the center of all that abundance — the blazing coneflowers, the purple delphiniums, the climbing jasmine, the golden grasses — this small wren sitting perfectly still and belonging completely.

So I painted him. And I named him Henry.

And the moment I did, I understood something.

Henry is not cliche. Henry is the whole point.

Bold orange coneflowers blaze across the upper canvas, their petals sweeping back like flames catching a summer breeze. Deep purple delphiniums rise majestically alongside hot pink hyacinths and rich magenta blooms. Orange and purple tulips reach upward through a luminous background of soft teal and periwinkle blue shifting to warm coral and gold — a sky that holds both the warmth of morning and the peace of evening at once. Tall cattails and climbing jasmine weave through the right side, their delicate white flowers tracing a quiet path through all the exuberance. Golden foxtail grasses and brilliant orange spires add warmth throughout.

And there is Henry. Sitting perfectly still at the heart of it all. Not performing. Not trying to be noticed. Just present. Just belonging. Just completely, peacefully himself.

Because somewhere between being young and full of fire and convinced I could conquer the world — and the years of life kicking the stuffing out of me — I started playing small.

Not all at once. Slowly. The way you don't notice the light changing until suddenly it's dark.

I put myself on the back burner. Stopped just short of what I deserved. I have always been successful — but I always stopped a little short. Like I didn't deserve it. Like I didn't have the energy for it. Shrinking a little every time life got hard, until shrinking felt normal.

But then I painted my living room hot pink. Not for anyone else. Because I loved it. I didn't ask permission or worry what anyone thought.

And I painted Henry. Right in the center of the garden. Unafraid. Unhurried. Completely himself.

That is what this painting is about. Not the bird. Not even the sanctuary. But the decision to stop playing small. To show up fully. To plant yourself right in the middle of your own life and belong there — without apology, without anyone's approval, without stopping just short of everything you have always deserved.

This was my art changing. After the acceptance of Chapter 9 — something shifted. The paintings that followed came from a different place. A quieter, more settled, more fully inhabited place.

Henry was the first sign of it. 🐦

Some sanctuaries aren't on any map. You find them when you need them most.

I found mine. 💜

The garden is open. You are welcome here. 💜

Secret Sanctuary is available as an Original Painting, museum-quality, Fine Art Giclee Paper Print, Canvas Giclee Print, Fine Art Card/Mini Prints on archival paper, and Gifts

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Ms. Laura Jones Paints | Creatively Beautiful