# FanTail

Two ceramic forms sit 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 when you get closer. This is the quality that distinguishes his process from standard ceramic firing, colour that opens up rather than closes down under scrutiny.

What makes FanTail interesting is the relationship between the two forms. Each one works as a standalone object, but together they feel more resolved, a composition as much as a piece of furniture. That tension between function and art is one Gustavson navigates throughout his bench work without resolving it in either direction.

A work that lives fully in the world while remaining committed to being art.

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

## Details

- **Price:** 9800.0 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 | 9800.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- FanTail – two-piece studio raku ceramic bench by Gustavson with bold sections of red, orange, teal, and green deepened by reduction firing
- FanTail by Gustavson – detail of bold colour sections in red, teal, and orange on studio raku ceramic form
- FanTail by Gustavson – full view of two ceramic bench forms as a unified functional sculpture
- FanTail by Gustavson – close-up of reduction-fired glaze depth in orange and teal on ceramic bench surface

## Additional Information

- **Dimensions:** 21.1"×52"×15"
- **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.

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> Source: [Art Scout](https://www.artscout.pro/products/fantail)
> Updated: 2026-05-20