OATMEAL is the studio practice of Elise Birnbaum. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, OATMEAL was an idea birthed from a meeting between friends to eat oatmeal and talk about making things. Elise’s current body of work was initially developed in the Japanese countryside, it focuses on sculptural, biomorphic shapes and vessels that initially referenced the cloud pruned, sculptural trees found in Japanese gardens. It continues to be explored in Elise’s Homewood studio where it evolves to take reference from new influences, from the human form to brutalist architecture.

Photography throughout the site by Micheal Parente and Elise Birnbaum