February's Pittsburgh Artist to Artist Interview

Kirsten Necochea recently moved to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles with his partner Danny Mankin.  He and Danny visited Elise Birnbaum of OATMEAL in studio last week. 

Follow these folks on IG:

Kirsten Necochea: @krnecochea

Danny Mankin (photography): @dannymankin  

Elise Birnmaum of OATMEAL: @oatmeal.shop

Kirsten's edited conversation with Elise is below. All photos by Danny Mankin.

It was with great honor and privilege that I recently visited Ceramicist Elise Birnbaum of OATMEAL and Elise’s studio partner Chelsea, of Bombabird Ceramics. In addition to touring Elise’s inspiring studio, I had the opportunity to have an artist-to-artist conversation about Elise’s path to opening her Pittsburgh studio and learn about the inspirations that fuel her creative talents.

Elise’s current body of work, initially developed during a residency in the Japanese countryside, focuses on sculptural, biomorphic shapes, and vessels that reference the cloud-pruned, sculptural trees found in Japanese gardens. Her body of work continues to be explored in her Homewood studio, where she builds and drops a monthly collection that sells out fast.

Kirsten: Did you study the arts or are you self taught?

Elise: I’m originally from Florida and I went to school for art in Virginia, mostly focused on sculpture and printmaking, and I didn't know what I really wanted to do. I applied for an internship at a printmaking nonprofit in Pittsburgh and continued to build my portfolio and thought I’d go to grad school. I also worked doing retail window displays for a while where I became comfortable working with various materials, mediums and building sculptures. I definitely burnt out making someone else's vision come to life. So, I started taking classes in woodworking, metal, sculpture and ceramics. Ceramics clicked for me. I quickly realized I was more of a hand builder/sculptor vs. throwing on the wheel. I always felt that ceramics was a cool world and always had so much to learn and knowledge to gain within the ceramics community. I did a residency in rural Japan to spend uninterrupted time to strengthen my skills in handbuilding.

Kirsten: What is your process for starting a piece and where/who do you draw inspiration from in your past and current work?

Elise: I usually start with an idea and a simple sketch, then listen to what the clay is wanting to do and start building upon that idea. During my 2-month residency in Japan, I became very inspired by the gardens and sculpture of cloud pruned trees. Everything was super thoughtful - like the way that your groceries are thoughtfully placed into the bag. I would ride my bike around the country roads seeing beautiful houses in the middle of the countryside with perfectly pruned trees. All of the attention to detail and thoughtfulness that is Japanese culture and design is so inspiring to me. I look back at my work from college and realize there is a theme - this theme has been consistent throughout my work. I’m really inspired by artists like Nicolette Johnson and Simone Bodmer-Turner, and works from Clam Lab Ceramics.

“It's just organic in nature, it feels like it's an exploration as you're doing it. You're listening to the tree or rock and thinking, what it can do and you just go for it.”

Kirsten: What was your path to opening your own ceramics studio in Pittsburgh?

Elise: I started out attending classes at the Union Project, a ceramics community studio and co-op in Highland Park, then I became a member. I also worked out of my house for a while which can be a bit chaotic if you don't have a designated space. It was sort of the evidence for me to just jump in and say, you know, I'm gonna commit to my own space, my own studio. I was working multiple jobs at the time, and I quit my full time job before starting my studio in 2018, how scary! It’s a financially scary commitment to do alone, and luckily my studio mate, Chelsea, was kind of in the same boat, and we were just like, okay, let’s make this happen. The good thing about Pittsburgh is there are lots of affordable studio spaces if you know where to look.

Kirsten: How has your work changed over the years? Where do you see your work headed in the future?

Elise: When I came back from my Japan residency, I realized I needed to monetize my art. I started slip casting some bowls and making larger sculptural pieces. I would like to focus on integrating more utilitarian pieces in my collection, more useful objects that can also be displayed like sculptures but offer the practical use that every household needs. I would also like to do more shows and events with collaborative collections in the near future.  

“I kind of set a joking goal in my head that I was going to make everything in my house. I’m going to make some spoons, like the silverware in my house, and I’ll make a curtain tieback and some bowls. I’ll start reimagining some useful items, but in my own way” 

Kirsten: How does someone come across or purchase your work?

Elise: My work is available on my website oatmeal-shop.com, where I release new work monthly. 

Kirsten: What are some of the ways Pittsburgh artists can support and inspire one another? What advice do you have for artists establishing themselves here in Pittsburgh?

Elise: Pittsburgh is a very accessible, friendly and open city. It’s easy to meet fellow artists and communities that support each other by attending local creative markets, attending artist’s events, or simply asking someone to join you for a coffee to get to know them better. It’s easy to build connections here and invest in those connections when you find your people. Attend creative classes to expand your network and learn from those experiences. There’s a lot of talent here that we can all learn from. It really is about connecting with other creatives and building the community that inspires you to try new things.

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Thank you for sharing your talents with Pittsburgh, Elise, Kirsten, and Danny! Now you're definitely going to want to follow these folks on IG... ammiright?

Kirsten Necochea: @krnecochea

Danny Mankin (photography): @dannymankin  

Elise Birnmaum of OATMEAL: @oatmeal.shop