Instructor Hilarie Couture has always been an artist, but only recently has been able to concentrate on her art full time. All of her life experiences have translated to her canvases as she is self- taught, but attends workshops from many artists she admires. Hilarie has work in galleries in Washington state and in Fort Wayne. She has had solo shows and has participated in various local and national group shows.

In 2016, she curated her own traveling show in Vancouver, Washington called "Founding Mothers: Portraits of Progress" where she painted 55 portraits of women who made contributions in her community, in an effort to honor them. This show exhibited throughout the city for almost two years at numerous venues as a community outreach and at the Historic Museum and the Fort Vancouver Gallery as a tribute to these remarkable women during Women's History month. Later, Hilarie wrote a book to document the project.

Hilarie has also been a guest judge for various art group competitions. She has won numerous awards for her paintings and is a member of several artist societies.

Hilarie believes in giving back and sharing what she has learned to help other artists. She believes that art education is important, especially at an early age, and has taught art history and practical application of art principles to home schooled children.

Hilarie is inspired by light and color. Her passion brings an energy to the painting of people. She is constantly stretching and creating new work, that not only incorporates painting with other mixed elements to display new textures, but that is also more of an exploration of the materials and the process. Her work combines meanings, contrasts, subject matter, thick and thin paint, hard and soft edges, paint with pastel, gold leaf and some other unconventional materials in whatever she creates. She wants the viewer to linger, wonder, enjoy, and be intertwined to the works.