Joe Sardinha was known across the country as a farmer and a great leader and enthusiastic spokesman for the agricultural industry.
Not many people knew that Joe was also an artist.
“The people who grew up with Joe, went to school with him, his teachers and his family, they knew another side of him before he became a farmer. He loved to do his art,” said Julie Sardinha, his wife of 32 years.
Joe’s artwork consists mostly of pencil and felt pen sketches done between the years of 1979 and 1981. His sketches are very detailed and include drawings of people such as Pierre Trudeau and Sir John A. MacDonald. He drew buildings, trucks and equipment, scenery, insects, still life, and even pictures of what he saw when looking through a microscope.
Julie explained how Joe’s orchard had become a work of art for him.
“He knew every tree and every cut and there was always a reason for it,” she said.
She expressed appreciation that both her children had inherited their father’s artistic ability, saying,
“I never bought a colouring book for our kids. When they were young they would go to their dad and ask him to draw a picture of a circus or a farm, or whatever they wanted. He would draw it and they would colour it,” she said.
“Most of these pictures are now down in my crawl space.”
Also included among Joe’s artwork are numerous drawings of cars.
One of the first things Julie found out about Joe, the night they met, was that he wanted to own a Mustang.
She explained how Joe was raised to not spend money frivolously and how every penny they made over the years went into the orchard or towards their kids’ education.
Finally, with her urging, he bought a Mustang GT Convertible.
“He got his car in 2009. He had four and a half years with it. I wish it had been longer. When I look at that car I think to myself, that was Joe finally understanding that he was worth it,” she said.
Joe belonged to the Apple Valley Cruiser Car Club.
He had planned to donate a bin of apples for their car show held this past September, in order to raise money for charity.
Joe passed away before the event.
Julie made sure the bin of apples was still given, and decided to donate the money raised from the sale of the apples to the Summerland Art Gallery in order to honour Joe’s love of art.
“Joe was Joe — just Joe — that’s all he needed to be known as. He never did much with his art, but it was a huge part of who he was,” she said.
