"Listen Softly" by Michael Gustavson, Raku Ceramic Triptych Wall Sculpture, Teal Red and Burgundy Glaze, Contemporary California Art, Vibrant Colors

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Three slabs arranged loosely, each carrying a bold composition of teal, red, burgundy, yellow, and cream. The colours are layered … Read more Three slabs arranged loosely, each carrying a bold composition of teal, red, burgundy, yellow, and cream. The colours are layered and complex, the kind of surface depth that photographs only partly show. Because each slab is fired on its own, the kiln resolves the glazes a little differently across each one, giving the grouping a natural variation that feels genuinely organic. This triptych works beautifully above a sofa or bed, across a dining room wall, or in a home office or study where its layered, complex palette rewards daily living with it.

Michael Gustavson is a California-based ceramic artist who builds upon the traditional Japanese process of raku, reimagining it through a distinctly contemporary and highly personal methodology. His work bridges free-form organic sculpture and painterly abstraction, distinguished by unusually vivid, luminous color rarely achieved in ceramic sculpture. Central to his practice is a firing approach developed and refined over decades, introducing pine needles at lower temperatures to create a reduction atmosphere while pieces remain inside the kiln. This highly individual studio-developed method allows him to work at significant scale and achieve exceptional chromatic depth and painterly nuance. Describing himself as a painter-sculptor, he treats each form as a three-dimensional canvas built through layered glazes, textures, and color interactions. Inspired by Miro, Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Pollock, his surfaces often feature controlled dripping and expressive movement, translating the energy of abstract painting into fired clay. Gustavson earned his MFA from San Jose State University in 1980. His work is held in major public and private collections worldwide, including IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Seagate, Cranbrook Museum, Eastman Kodak, the Bel-Air Hotel, ANA Hotel Tokyo, and private collectors including Goldie Hawn and Dr. Linus Pauling. See less