# Call the Sea

Bold geometric forms move up this tall column in stages, arcs, circles, and fragmented planes shifting from warm reds and oranges at the base into cooler blues and whites above. Gustavson's signature dripped passages move through the composition with a loose, painterly freedom that connects directly to his long admiration for Pollock, controlled and deliberate rather than accidental.

The colour depth here comes from a firing process Gustavson has developed and refined over nearly five decades. By introducing pine needles into the kiln at lower temperatures while the work remains inside, he creates a reduction atmosphere that produces a chromatic richness standard ceramic firing simply cannot achieve.

A strong, commanding piece that holds its presence from across the room. It works equally well indoors or in an outdoor setting.

[Browse all works by Michael Gustavson](/collections/michael-gustavson)

## Details

- **Price:** 21000.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Art Scout
- **Type:** Ceramic Sculpture
- **Tags:** buy original art online, California artist, ceramic sculpture, collector art, Michael Gustavson, original sculpture, raku, wall relief

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 21000.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Call the Sea – tall studio raku ceramic column by Gustavson with geometric forms in warm reds and oranges at base shifting to cooler blues and whites above with Pollock-inspired dripped glaze passages
- Call the Sea by Gustavson – detail of painterly dripped glaze passages and arc forms in red, orange, and blue on tall ceramic column
- Call the Sea by Gustavson – full view of commanding tall column showing colour shift from warm base to cool upper section
- Call the Sea by Gustavson – close-up of pine needle reduction-fired glaze in blue and white upper section of ceramic column
- Call the Sea by Gustavson – ceramic column displayed in room or outdoor setting showing strong presence

## Additional Information

- **Dimensions:** 81"×26"×11"
- **Artist Material:** Glazed ceramic
- **Artist Name:** Michael Gustavson
- **About The Artist Link:** https://www.artscout.pro/collections/michael-gustavson

### About The Artist Content

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 Gustavson’s practice is a firing approach he has developed and refined over decades, evolving from but ultimately departing from traditional raku. Rather than removing works from the kiln, he introduces pine needles at lower temperatures to create the reduction atmosphere while the pieces remain inside. This highly individual, studio-developed method allows him to work at significant scale and achieve exceptional chromatic depth and painterly nuance in glazed ceramic. Few ceramic artists pursue color with this level of painterly ambition.

Over a four-decade career, Gustavson has pushed the expressive potential of clay, developing a controlled yet highly responsive surface language. Describing himself as a painter-sculptor, he treats each form as a three-dimensional canvas built through layered glazes, textures, and color interactions. His vessels often suggest the human figure in motion, while his wall reliefs activate negative space as an integral compositional force. Large-scale outdoor sculptures and benches extend this painterly vision into powerful tectonic forms.

Inspired by Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Jackson Pollock, Gustavson’s surfaces often feature controlled dripping and expressive movement, translating the energy of abstract painting into fired clay.

Gustavson earned his MFA from San José State University in 1980. His work is held in major public and private collections worldwide, including IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Seagate, Cranbrook Museum, and Eastman Kodak.

---

> Source: [Art Scout](https://www.artscout.pro/products/call-the-sea)
> Updated: 2026-08-28