JOHNNY NINOS
ABOUT:
My name is Johnny Ninos. I grew up in a small town in Western NY called Alfred. It was there that I spent much of my time as a boy with my Dad out and about in the woods; lifting up rocks and exploring swamps, looking and learning about anything that I could find. This early exploration has become the driving force for my jewelry. Trying to find excuses to go off and explore funky places and bring back treasures from the expedition is what keeps me going.
Another neat tidbit about Alfred is the abundance of highly talented artists all cramming themselves into a tiny valley; feeding from the creative energy that stems from the art school. It was this energy that eventually drew me into the University’s BFA program where I spent my time in the clay, metal, and wood studios, focusing in sculpture. Soon after graduating I moved to California with my wife who is a painter to teach at a little private school called Midland. It was here that I learned to work with jewelry. I am self taught with the help of some great books and YouTube clips, and have become completely hooked. I love working, I love being in the studio, and I love going on adventures with my lady.
I currently live in California where I teach metal sculpture and jewelry making. I often use found materials, carefully searched for and unique to the different places they are found.
All of the diamonds and gems that I use are natural and conflict-free. They are purchased from suppliers that hand-cut their stones and fully adhere to the Kimberly Process Certification Laws.
Please visit my Flickr site more more images of my studio, work, and adventures while searching for inspiration and stones. You can also take a visit around the corner to my lady’s blog, Wholesome Scraps, which features updates from our studios in addition to posts about food, art and design.