MOOSE MOUNTAIN — Linda Joe is a self-taught artist who is still grasping her fundamentals and getting comfortable with her artist tools. This talent started when she lived in India, where she was born and raised.
She will be attending the Moose Mountain Provincial Park Artist Colony from Aug. 5-11. This will be her first time attending and it was her husband who suggested the idea. Joe looks forward to sharing her story with the people who will come to visit. She feels this will be her chance to highlight her talent and art.
Joe was born in the state of Kerala in Southern India. It is a lush small state bordering the Arabian Sea. Joe remembers walking in her gardens and agricultural land filled with mango trees, jackfruit and coconut trees.
She would sit under these trees drawing, painting, and daydreaming. She watched the birds, snakes and mongoose while dabbling in her art. This is one of her favourite childhood memories.
Her schooling was done at the Holy Child Convent, Snehagiri. She obtained a Bachelor of Education in English Education at Adhi Sankara Training College in Kalady. She furthered her education by receiving a degree in English literature from Sacred Hearts College, Chalakudy, and a diploma in Addictions and Community Services from Lethbridge Reeves College.
Joe is now an education assistant at Carlyle Elementary School and is married to Joe Andrews, who works at Club 19 in Kenosee as the food and beverage manager, and she has one daughter named Magdalene.
The family arrived in Canada 10 years ago and settled in Red Deer, Alta. Joe’s husband worked for Australis on a cruise liner, but this kept the couple apart. They came to Canada so they could be together through their work and later came to Saskatchewan when work opportunities became available.
Throughout this time, Joe has continued with her art. She started with pencil drawings and now has spread her wings to do acrylic paintings on canvas. Joe likes to add to her art by using plaster of Paris to add texture to her work.
“I take pride in my original work, and these are the pieces that I sell,” said Joe. She does not do prints of her work or cards. She loves to explore with different styles, and she does not do a series of paintings.
She started with nature paintings, but now enjoys drawing people, her culture, and the traditional dance they have in India. “I think there needs to be a representation of Southern Indian art and culture in art,” she said.
Once she starts a piece of art, Joe needs to keep working on it until it is completed. She finds that if she does not do this, she will lose interest in the piece, and it will take her a long time to finish it.
Joe began a piece, from her home state, of the Kerala Temple. This was over a year ago, but due to her being busy, she has yet to complete it. Her favourite paintings are of the Theyyam and Kathakali dances.
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