Patricia Coulter is a great Canadian woman.
The Cold Lake artist had her story featured, along with 13 others, in the book, Great Canadian Women, which launched on Oct. 5.
After hearing a podcast called Great Canadian Women was looking for those who had an interesting anecdote, Coulter reached out to share her story last July.
Coulter first got back into art as a way to deal with the grief after her daughter was killed by a drunk driver.
“I had a dark time in my life, and I really needed something to uplift me. I remembered painting, and how much fun it had brought me,” she recalled. “I brought my paints out, and I just found that I was really happy when I was painting. I didn’t always have a nice painting when I was done, but actually doing the painting, playing around with the paint and water, was just really therapeutic.”
The podcast became popular overtime, and host Sarah Swain decided to turn the collection of interviews into a book.
“The stories are quite fascinating,” noted Coulter. “Everybody’s had something in their life that’s kind of a dark time, and we’ve all overcome it. We see those people at the grocery store or somewhere, and you don’t realize that they’ve overcome some huge changes in their life.”
The book launched in conjunction with the Great Canadian Women Summit, an event hosted annually for business women to connect and learn from keynote speakers.
After waiting roughly a year for the release, Coulter couldn’t contain her excitement.
“It’s wonderful because you reach people that you have no other way of contacting. People from all over, and situations might be a little bit different, but if they can get inspired and realize that other people can learn something from it, then I’ll feel really good about it.”
She added, “I hope everybody finds something for themselves that’s creative, whether it’s working with wood, crocheting, singing, or maybe making something in the kitchen. Just something ideally where they work with their hands, make their mind relax, and just gives them a good feeling in their heart.”
Coulter isn’t a stranger to sharing her story and art. She’s had pieces featured in international art shows, in magazines, and books, along with speaking at multiple events.
“I always encourage people to feel like they can be creative, that everybody is creative, and they just have their own unique way of doing it.”
Coulter paints full time now that she’s retired, and shares her passion by teaching painting on cruise ships from time to time.
“My husband and I have travelled to different countries in a way that we probably wouldn’t have been able to,” she noted, adding she’s also had her pieces featured in shows in New York, Miami, and Singapore.
Nothing could have prepared her for where her journey has taken her over the years.
“I don’t think I could dream that big, and things just happen. I’m constantly surprised and thrilled,” she expressed.
Thanks to her own experiences, Coulter strongly believes in utilizing art to heal during dark periods of time in your life.
“There’s some connection to the length of our fingers… that goes up to our heart, mind, and then back to our fingers. I think there’s something in the tactile of it, and I also think there’s something to do with paint. The fluidity of it can speak to people, and I think it just opens up feelings and emotions too.”
Coulter plans to attend the Great Canadian Woman Summit next year when it makes a stop in Canmore.
“I think, as Canadians, we’re very modest and women are also very modest. We tend to downplay our achievements, or don’t know how to achieve some of the things that we love. I think it’s a really niche market that’s just starting to grown, that women and Canadians can be great.”
The Great Canadian Women book is available through Amazon.
