Juliette Hare O'Connor Curiosities
The Studio - Where it All Happens
Juliette Hare O'Connor began her artistic ventures by producing papier mâché interpretations of the New Orleans cemeteries in the early 1990s along with watercolors of the Tombs of New Orleans that included the haunting epitaphs taken from ones that catch Juliette's eye as she roams the cemeteries of South Louisiana.
Juliette uses many of her own photographs, ones obtained from estate sales, flea markets around the south Louisiana region along with the EJ Bellocq photographs of Storyville prostitutes.
Her work also includes New Orleans Police Department Mug Shots of women (and interesting men) arrested in the early 1900's for various reasons, but mainly prostitution. Juliette's most outrageous find - a reason for arrest was "street-walker". She considers this so bogus - you will never see this reason on a man's mug shot.
Juliette creates unique one-of-a-kind art. All of her art pieces are made from vintage and Victorian fabrics, buttons, jewelry, laces, maps, papers, old boxes, photographs, postcards and found objects. Vintage religious icons, rosaries and crucifixes are used in many of the pieces. When available, the origin of an object is identified.
Vintage camera film plate holders, architectural salvage pieces, roofing ridge tiles from post Katrina de-constructed New Orleans homes are used as the foundation for many works. Some objects are altered and distressed with inks and watercolors and amber shellac. Encaustic wax is used on photographs to give a sense of depth and age.
Her fetish boxes of religious icons, Holt and St. Roch Cemeteries are filled with icons, rosaries, keys, metals, beads, fragments and other found objects along with Juliette's photographs. Many of boxes are accompanied by the story of each woman.
On occasion a customer will request that Juliette create a fetish box using personal objects, photographs and small mementos of a loved one who has passed away. These are always special to Juliette as she feels these items bring peace to her customer.
She only uses vintage journals/book covers and no commercially reproduced papers are incorporated in her art.
Juliette is always on the hunt for great salvage and good stuff! She travels the back roads and bayou land of Louisiana searching for the perfect item. The Green Project and the Preservation Resource Center are both great friends as well as eBay and online auctions!
