Canadian artist Joseph Green, leader of Beaverworks Mint—the only mint in Western Canada—has devoted years and thousands of hours to mastering the art of minting. He first gained recognition within the Canadian Forces after publishing a website and a 1000+ page military anthology book of condolences honoring the first four Canadian soldiers lost in Afghanistan to friendly fire on April 17, 2002.
In gratitude for his work, the Third Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry presented Green with a signed regimental flag that had flown over their base in Afghanistan. Green facilitated the flag’s journey into space aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115/12A with Canadian astronaut Dr. Steve MacLean.
At the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec, during the flag repatriation ceremony, Green presented a painting titled The Stuff of Patricia’s to Dr. MacLean and invited him to apply the final brush strokes.
Later, at the formal unveiling of the flag’s permanent display at Edmonton Garrison’s 3 PPCLI Regimental Headquarters, Green presented another painting titled Faster Than Angels and invited senior officers to paint the final brush strokes alongside him.
These moments symbolize the unique collaboration and deep respect shared between Green, the Canadian Forces, and Canadian space pioneers. The flag and paintings now reside permanently with the Third Battalion, honoring their legacy.
Painting with Dr. Steve MacLean during what was otherwise a somber memorial event brought an unexpected and heartfelt sense of beauty, joy, and laughter. We’re fairly certain Dr. MacLean didn’t anticipate he’d be painting that day. As he took the brush in hand, he began to describe how shockwaves rippled off the booster rockets during launch, guiding his strokes into a cross-hatch pattern—translating spaceflight into pigment and motion.
At one point, a flick of paint leapt from his brush and splattered the canvas. He turned to Canadian artist Joseph Green and asked, “What do we do about that?” Green quietly chuckled and reassured him, “It’s okay—things like this happen.” He then picked up the back end of a paint tube and, using it like a palette knife, made several sweeping horizontal strokes across the surface. The streaks resembled clouds.
Dr. MacLean paused, looked at the canvas, smiled, and said, “It’s okay—there were clouds in the sky that day. I remember.”
The moment was surreal. As Green stood there, he couldn’t help but reflect on the absolute uniqueness of it all—painting with a Canadian astronaut at the Canadian Space Agency, both of them adding their own energy to a memorial work of art that had already travelled so far.
We are deeply grateful to Dr. Steve MacLean and the Canadian Space Agency for so graciously hosting Joseph Green and the contingent from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Their warmth and hospitality turned what could have been a formal transfer ceremony into something profoundly personal, reflective, and meaningful.
And finally, we extend a heartfelt thank-you to Malcolm Carter of Chronos Media and his exceptional film crew for capturing this once-in-a-lifetime moment. To have a filmmaker of Malcolm’s calibre document such an extraordinary encounter meant the world to us—and helped preserve a story that was, in every sense, out of this world.
-In a deeply private and emotionally charged ceremony, Joseph Green presented the Colours of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry to the Commanding Officer of 1 PPCLI. The event was held behind closed doors, witnessed only by the CO, the Regimental Sergeant Major, and Green’s dear friend Ms. Nicole VanVeen—who painted on behalf of Her Royal Highness Princess Patricia. As part of Green’s artistic tradition, each painting he presents is completed only after those involved apply the final brush strokes themselves. When it came time to title the painting, the Commanding Officer was asked to inscribe the name: The Very Beating Heart of My Soul.
Instead of standing upright, the CO quietly dropped to his knees and began to paint the title. As he did, visibly moved by the gravity of the moment and all that it represented—service, sacrifice, remembrance—he shed a tear. CBC News was present and filmed the intimate exchange, which left a profound impression on everyone in the room. It was a powerful moment—a quiet, sacred act of remembrance shared between soldiers, an artist, and a nation’s history.
