Master of precious metal granulation - goldsmith, enameller, teacher, artist, designer.
"The original American granulation artist .." Alan Revere in Professional Jeweler
"John Paul Miller Oral History Interview Conducted by Jan Yager for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 2004"
A marvellous interview which offers not only historical and biographical enlightenment but also some critical insights into Mr Miller's processes.
In 1961 Mr Miller was the recipient of "the first Cleveland Arts Prize to be awarded in the visual arts"
more information here ...
"In the late 1920's I took a Saturday morning class at the then Cleveland School of Art with Mr. (Kenneth F.) Bates who had just started to teach basic design there. We did a variety of projects, among them two enamel ash trays. After High School I enrolled at the Cleveland School of Art and had Mr. Bates as my Basic Design instructor.
That same year I met Frederick Miller, who was also in his first year. He was doing some very accomplished silver jewelry and he taught me the fundamentals, working with a mouth blow torch and an alcohol lamp, where he was rooming.
I began working on rings and brooches in my parents basement. I built a small kiln from fire brick, with two elements from coffee makers as the heat source. I bought some Thompson enamels, and did an ash tray and a few brooches with enamels in a bezel setting.
I majored in Industrial Design, mainly because I wanted to learn as much as I could about design. I was a watercolor painter, and that's what I thought I wanted to be.
In the (Second World) war I was drafted early and got into the Armed Forces Training Literature Department, where I worked for a little over four years as an illustrator of training manuals, and other training material.
After the war I began teaching a variety of subjects at the Cleveland School of Art, and began doing some jewelry in gold. Fred Miller returned to become chief designer for a fine jewelry and hollow-ware store in Cleveland, and took over the silversmithing department at the school.
The previous owner of the store was a well-known jewelry designer from the late 1800's through to the 1940's. He used enamel in his rings and brooches. When he stopped working I got his huge supply of unused enamels; British, French and Austrian, much of it unground broken and unbroken boules. Before I got them I had started to use enamel in my jewelry and used Carpenter and Wood jewelry enamels, as I wasn't happy with Thompson enamels in jewelry.
I soon found a source for Millenett enamels. Fabulous colours - still have some! I went to Schauer's plant in Vienna, and started using them. At my age I have enough to last me.
On the technical side - I regrind the ground enamels with an agate mortar and pestle in distilled water, and use distilled water for working. With our local water it makes a difference.
The enamel areas are built up slowly, starting with shading around the cloisons, and usually the colors are built up with color changes within the layers - many firings.
The form to be enameled is made from pure gold to get the best color. The back of the form is paved with small rectangles of 18kt which are then fused on to the pure gold form to provide strength.
The design is developed with 18kt small rectangles of gold laid end-to-end where lines are needed, along with small triangles, rectangles or round or oval spots which are finally fused to the pure gold form.
A threaded gold 18kt tube is soldered to the centre of the back of the gold form. This makes it possible to screw the enamel section to the rest of the piece, and the rest of the piece is not subjected to the many firings of the enamel. (Thus) it makes it possible to repair the enamel section if it were to be damaged. Most of the Renascence pieces were constructed in this way.
I have used a particular 18kt gold sold by Handy and Harmon for my pieces. Unfortunately it is no longer available to craftsmen. European jewelers use 22kt gold for granulation"
John Paul Miller
Cleveland, Ohio
January 23rd, 2002
