"Day Break" by Michael Gustavson, Raku Ceramic Bench Sculpture for Garden or Indoor, Functional Contemporary California Art

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Solid and commanding, this ceramic bench carries a deep grey-black ground with a distinct linear energy running through it. Fine … Read more Solid and commanding, this ceramic bench carries a deep grey-black ground with a distinct linear energy running through it. Fine spiralling patterns are drawn through the glaze before firing and locked permanently into the surface by the kiln, their hand-drawn quality sitting quietly against the clean-edged circular colour forms across the piece. This drawing into glaze is part of Gustavson's broader approach to treating ceramic as a three-dimensional canvas, where every mark is considered before the fire makes it permanent. Fully functional as seating and a serious work of art in any space.

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