Michael Pittman

Michael Pittman Biography

Michael Pittman is a Berkeley-based artist whose work is rooted in textile traditions and the tactile qualities of handmade materials. Raised on California’s central coast, he studied Graphic Design at Biola University and later pursued textile design and ceramics at San Francisco State University.

His recent works combine handmade paper from India, hemp cloth from South Korea, thread, and wax, resulting in surfaces that feel woven, layered, and reconstructed. In one piece, strips of color and texture interlock like fragments of fabric, evoking the rhythm of weaving. In another, looping stitched lines form fluid, organic patterns across modular panels, recalling both threadwork and drawing.

Pittman’s art reflects a dialogue between structure and spontaneity, tradition and reinvention—an exploration of how humble materials carry memory, rhythm, and presence.