John Paul Miller

John Paul Miller enjoyed all the arts, he was a producer of films, photographs and paintings but it was his passion for jewellery design and goldsmith that he is remembered for today.

His jewellery is best known for his use of granulation, which is a way of fusing gold beads to a gold surface without solder. This technique had been used in ancient times  but had largely been forgotten in the modern age. It was while working at Cleveland School Of Art in Ohio that he found a document by an archeologist at the American Academy In Rome which detailed about granulation. The paper had enough in it to help Miller figure out how to do it.

 

His work drew a lot of acclaim in his later years but despite shows with acclaim at the art institute of Chicago, Victoria and Albert Museum, Renwick Gallery and many others his fame didn't come until after his death when Stephen Harrison the curator at the Cleveland Musuem of Art did a retrospective of his work in a gallery of more then 50 pieces, including sketchbooks and drawings. The show drew large amounts of people who marvelled at his work spanning nearly 60 years.

 

John Paul Miller was a keen hiker in the Rocky Mountains and Tetons and got most of his inspiration for pieces from these walks. His works where of creatures such as moths flies, crabs and snails and would be made with a high level of perfection and art in mind which gave his jewellery a look of being aged but also futuristic. He was praised for knowing exactly when a piece was finished.

 

John Paul Miller, originally from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, moved to Cleveland with his family when he was two years old after the death of his mother. Later in life he enrolled in classes at The Cleveland Musuem of Art where he studied enamelling. In 1936 he enrolled in the Cleveland School of Arts industrial design program. It was here that he became fascinated with silver jewellery due largely to his friend Frederick A. Miller. Later he shared a studio with Frederick Miller, his wife and children.

 

After graduating in 1940 from Cleveland School of Art he stayed and taught there for a year. Next he did a tour of duty with the army at Fort Knox in Kentucky, while there he studied tanks and illustrated manuals on tank tactics. When he came back he resumed his job at Cleveland School of Arts.
He died in 2010 aged 93.

What I personally like about this man was his ability to teach himself what he didn't know and his pioneering spirit to work with granulation.
If you found John Paul Miller inspiring you, you can share this post by clicking the social media posts below or clicking the envelope to email a friend.