Birgit Kupke-Peyla

My career in metals, melding my aptitude for small scale and my interest in design, started with a friendship to a young goldsmith. My curiosity prompted an invitation to visit his studio. He introduced me to soldering and I fabricated my first pieces of jewelry, 21 years ago. This euphoric experience led to an apprenticeship.

Upon Graduation from High School, having passed the entrance exam for two Art Schools I decided to go to HANAU. The schools curriculum combines classical training in the trade of goldsmithing with drafting, drawing and design. With the BA degree in hand I found employment and had the opportunity to work side by side with a certified master jeweler.

Growing up my parents fostered my creativity. Making things: conceptualizing, designing, creating has always been part of my life. My mother passed her passion for Fiber Arts on to me. She knitted and sewed. I learned both by observing her. My dad, an engineer, encouraged me to assist him with projects. He taught me how to hold a file and swing a hammer. 

In 1990 I relocated from Germany to California, where I began to teach Metalsmithing.  Over the last decade I have produced my designs and exhibited my work in Fine Craft Shows and Galleries throughout the United States. For the past years this has been my full time devotion.

Birgit Kupke-Peyla
kupkepeyla.com

Birgit Kupke-Peyla Gallery