MEDIA RELEASE - 15 MARCH 2005

Good Luck Broken Mirror Lady

"Forget about broken mirrors and bad luck." says Juliet Barr, a Sydney mosaic artist who favours the use of broken mirrors in her amazing wall hangings. "Anyone who buys one of my pieces automatically gets 100 years good luck!" she promises.

Featured on the Today Show for her paintings in Mauritius and Manly Hotels, Juliet is now experimenting with mosaic as a form of artistic expression. She says her mirror creations are inspired by the beach and travels to islands such as Mauritius, Fiji and Hamilton Island.

"I especially love fish and how their scales dance in the light - just like mirror, so right now I am making tropical shapes, mostly fish, using mirror fragments and I am thrilled at how striking they are turning out."

It was a mosaic at Bondi beach that lead Juliet to consider making art out of broken mirror. "My kids were wading in the pool and I noticed a huge mosaic there using a tiny bit of mirror in the shapes of human torsos. I was instantly captivated by its' glistening beauty."

Juliet's husband Pete runs a factory full of timber, tools and mirror. "I think Pete was pretty surprised when I initially turned up and asked how to use a handsaw so I could cut out the shapes for my mosaics. He's used to it now though."

She says she never knows how each piece is going to look when it is finished. "They seem to take their own form. "

When asked if she cuts herself using so much broken mirror, she replies, "I try to be careful, some weeks my hands are full of cuts and others I have no injuries. I have to wear safety glasses and I should wear gloves, though some days I forget because I just want to get into it."

Juliet's mirror mosaics are sold exclusively from Wildwood Gladesville at 334 Victoria Road, where she also works Monday to Wednesday. She will do commissions and is available to speak to on 98176999 or 0405-306640.