A New Chapter

I’ve been thinking about writing this for a long time.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been a little quieter than usual. A lot has been happening behind the scenes, and I think I’m finally ready to tell you a little bit about where I am—and where I’m going.

The truth is, I’ve been finding my way back to myself.

For several years, my body essentially brought my life to a stop.

It was a combination of chronic illness, post-viral symptoms, the upheaval of menopause, and a lot of grief and loss. Eventually, my body and mind just couldn’t carry everything anymore.

And when I was finally forced to stop, I began to realize that I had probably been struggling with my health for much longer than I understood. Migraines, infections, exhaustion, spending far more time in bed than I wanted to admit… it had all become so normal to me that I didn’t really question it.

Last November, while I was still trying to heal, a little log home surrounded by trees and water came into our lives.

We moved two weeks later.

It has been one of the best things that could have happened.

I’ve spent months watching birds, watching the seasons change, being quiet, resting and simply being in nature. There has been a lot of solitude.

And slowly, I’ve started to feel like myself again.

I’m still healing. I don’t want to pretend that I’ve arrived somewhere or that everything is suddenly perfect.

But something has changed.

I don’t want an art career anymore. I want to be an artist.

This is probably the biggest realization I’ve had.

I’ve made my living through art for almost 30 years. I’m incredibly grateful for that life, and for every person who has bought a painting, visited a gallery, come to a show, shared my work or simply followed along.

But somewhere along the way, being an artist became an art career.

There are websites to maintain, paintings to produce, social media to feed, shows to organize, sales to make, businesses to run, expectations to meet…

And I don’t want that anymore.

I want to paint.

I want painting to feel like it did when I was five years old.

Before I was a mother, daughter, sister, advocate, leader, business owner—or any of the other roles I eventually took on.

Just Heather.

Curious. Awake. Completely present. Lost in her own world.

When I recently went back into my studio, something unexpected happened.

I started painting, and it felt like I was unlocking something that had been held inside my body for years.

Painting became freedom again.

Flow.

Meditation.

Movement.

A way of moving something through me without needing to know what it was going to become.

And honestly, I have no idea what’s going to come out of this next chapter.

That’s what I like about it.

I’m still going to paint. I’ll still sell paintings. I’ll take on commissions when something feels right. I’ll share what I’m making here and on social media.

I’m just letting go of the idea that I need to have an “art career.”

I want to be an artist.

The Art of Courage

I also want to say something about The Art of Courage, because so many of you have been part of that journey with me.

I had to step away from the day-to-day work because of my health.

I had carried too much for too long, and eventually I had to admit that I couldn’t carry everything myself.(not that I ever did, but I held the core responsibility) 

But the work didn’t stop.

What began with my first trip to Congo, and the relationships I developed there—especially my friendship with Kizungu, who runs VMC in Goma—grew into something far bigger than I ever imagined.

Today, the work includes Jonathan Holiday School in Goma, Idjwi Island Learning Academy and the Tchukudu Women’s Centre.

So many people have helped build this.

Vicky English Pearson and Cathy Cleary have poured enormous amounts of themselves into the work, along with countless people here and in Congo who have donated, volunteered, travelled, organized, painted, encouraged and believed.

We also ran the Tchukudu children’s home for about ten years, caring for children who had lost their parents and making sure they received an education. That chapter has now closed, and the children are safely living with welcoming families. In many ways, I think that has become a better and more sustainable outcome.

The schools are still running.

The money that was raised is still educating children.

And despite everything happening in Goma, the children are still going to school.

Most recently, 67 homes were burned to the ground only about 200 metres from our school. Thankfully, none of our children or their homes were damaged, but many families lost almost everything.

I don’t know exactly what my role with The Art of Courage (now The Jonathan Holiday School) will look like from here.

I’m finding my way back in, but this time as an advisor rather than the person carrying the day-to-day responsibility.

The chapter isn’t finished.

Not even close.

A new chapter for Jeff

There’s a new chapter happening for Jeff too.

After years of doing renovations and handyman work around town, he has joined Bennett’s Furniture as a Sales Design Consultant.

It actually feels like a really natural fit.

Jeff spent ten years running the Heather Haynes Gallery, managing the day-to-day business and sales. He has always had a great eye for design, he’s good with people, he understands business, and he genuinely enjoys helping people figure out what will work in their space.

He’s also always had his own creative side. Over the years he’s played music in several local bands, so he’s never been very far from some kind of creative outlet.

We’re both excited to see where this takes him.

So, if you’re looking for furniture or thinking about changing up a room, go see Jeff!

And there could even be a little crossover between our worlds.

If you’re creating a new space and need furniture and a painting… well, you know where to find us.

And the boys…

I can’t finish without a little update on the boys.

Whitney—who creates art under the name Drillo—has been making paintings while also heading back to school to study arboriculture. He has a show coming up in Toronto this November, and it’s been really fun watching his creative life continue to unfold.

Sullivan recently graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Computer Science.

He’s figuring out what comes next, but in the meantime he has developed this completely different creative passion: making short videos and reels featuring high-end and luxury cars.

He spent two summers working with Porsche while finishing his degree, and he’s now making videos for people in the car business.

He taught himself how to do it.

And he’s really good at it.

I love seeing the two of them finding their own ways to combine creativity with the things they love.

You can see some of Sullivan’s work here:

@sull.mov on Instagram⁠

So… that’s where I am.

After almost 30 years of making art, raising children, building businesses, travelling, creating The Art of Courage, running galleries, renovating houses and generally keeping life very, very full…

I’m learning to make some room.

Room to breathe.

Room to listen.

Room to paint.

Room to just be.

I don’t know exactly what this next chapter is going to look like.

And strangely enough, that feels really good.

Thank you for being here through all of it.

If you’ve bought a painting, visited a gallery, come to an exhibition, supported The Art of Courage, followed my work, or simply watched from afar—you’ve been part of my life in ways you probably don’t realize.

I’m grateful for that.

And I’m excited to see what happens next.

With love,

Heather