"The Edge of Time" by Michael Gustavson, Raku Ceramic Triptych Wall Sculpture, Olive Navy Orange and Teal Glaze, Contemporary California Art

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Three large irregular slabs carrying a rich and varied palette across a wide arrangement. The upper slab moves through olive, … Read more Three large irregular slabs carrying a rich and varied palette across a wide arrangement. The upper slab moves through olive, navy, white, and red with Cubist confidence. The right slab carries a vivid orange ground with a large textured blue-grey circle at its centre. The lower slab moves through teal, orange, and white in arcing forms that feel genuinely lively. Each slab fires separately and the kiln resolves the surfaces a little differently across all three, giving the piece a natural energy throughout. This triptych works powerfully above a sofa or dining table, across a wide entryway wall, or in a corporate or hospitality setting where art at scale sets the tone for the entire 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