"FanTail" by Michael Gustavson, Raku Ceramic Functional Bench Sculpture, Two-Part Form, Contemporary California Art, Vibrant Colors

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Two ceramic forms that work together as a functional bench, the surface carrying reds, oranges, teals, and greens across broad, … Read more Two ceramic forms that work together as a functional bench, the surface carrying reds, oranges, teals, and greens across broad, confident sections. Gustavson's reduction firing gives each area of colour a real depth, bold from a distance and more nuanced up close. Each form works independently as a sculptural object, but together they create something greater. This bench is equally at home indoors and outdoors, working beautifully at the foot of a bed, in an entryway, along a hallway, or as a statement piece on a terrace, garden path, or courtyard where its vivid colour holds its own in natural light.

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