For some art has a way of giving you a different perspective of life. It is calming and engaging, with its effects either being therapeutic or emotionally rewarding.
Marlene Joubert found her need for art after she was faced with a life-threatening diagnosis that compelled her to get out of her rut. She had been diagnosed with a pulmonary disease about seven years ago and it was after this hard realisation that she decided to do something she could have control over. Joubert would go for her routine walks around Melville and spot things that attracted her. “I love taking my daily walks, it’s at this time that I would pick up anything that attracted me, a branch, a feather or an object,” said Joubert.
She said that she would take whatever it was she found and incorporate them into a sculpture she would be working on. “I would look at objects and get inspired and I would just get lost in the art piece,” said Joubert.
She decided to collaborate with her husband, Eddie Joubert, a former fireman, who suffered a back injury in the line of duty, and he accompanied her on these walks. “These helped to rehabilitate me after all the operations I’ve gone through to get better,” said Eddie.
The time they shared on these walks while getting lost in their art pieces together would form a sort of therapy for the both of them. “Our art is very personal to us and they are each done to signify a certain time in our lives or just how we might have felt at the time of doing it,” said Eddie. They both explained that their art might not be to everyone’s tastes, but that each one spoke a truth to them.
“Eddie never had a background in art, and seeing some of the pieces he has done is just amazing,” said the sculpturist. She added that Eddie will soon undergo a surgery that will likely see him be bound to a wheelchair.
Their work has not yet been exhibited at art galleries though they hope to soon let the community see their work.
