John Paul

John Paul has been designing & creating handmade fine jewelry in downtown Bend, Oregon for over twenty-five years. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing from the University of Wisconsin Stout he spent several years apprenticing with master metalsmiths, jewelers, diamond setters and lapidarists in Madison, Wisconsin and Vail, Colorado. It wasn't long before the mountains called and he eventually found his way to Bend. Once in Bend, JP set up shop in his garage, which eventually led to renting a small space in the basement of the Old Penny's Galleria, formerly the JC Penny 's building. After a short stint down under, as it was so affectionately referred to, JPD rented a bona fide street level storefront studio and gallery. At its height, the gallery represented over a dozen jewelry artists, sculptors and glassblowers. Around this time....the turning of the century, JP befriended a neighboring blacksmith. Sometime during this time, seeing iron forged hot, changed the trajectory of the way in which he created jewelry. The technical foundation rooted in fine jewelry traditions combined with the forging of iron, created the space for something unknown to unfold. It is under this unfolding that he continues to be inspired by the unknown and is relentless in his pursuit of joyous discovery.

john@johnpauldesigns.com

https://www.johnpauldesigns.com

https://www.instagram.com/johnpauldesigns/