# Just South of the Moon Triptych

Three organic slab forms in a quiet palette. Soft greens, warm creams, greys, and earthy reds are drawn by the reduction firing into a subtle richness within a restrained colour range. The mood is calm rather than bold, and the surfaces reward a slower kind of looking, one that Gustavson's layered glazing approach consistently makes worthwhile.

Circular forms appear across each piece, a recurring detail in his work that ties the grouping together without making it feel repetitive. The space between the slabs is carefully considered, the gaps as much a part of the composition as the ceramic itself. This is something Gustavson has developed deliberately across his wall relief work, treating negative space as an active compositional force.

A settled, thoughtful work. Well suited to a space that values quiet.

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

## Details

- **Price:** 7600.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Art Scout
- **Type:** Ceramic Sculpture
- **Tags:** buy original art online, California artist, ceramic sculpture, collector art, Michael Gustavson, original sculpture, raku, triptych, wall relief

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 7600.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Just South of the Moon Triptych – three organic ceramic slab wall piece by Gustavson in soft greens, warm creams, greys, and earthy reds with circular forms and deliberate negative space between slabs
- Just South of the Moon Triptych by Gustavson – detail of circular forms and subtle reduction-fired glaze in soft green and warm cream on ceramic slab
- Just South of the Moon Triptych by Gustavson – full three-slab wall installation in quiet palette of greens, creams, and earthy reds

## Additional Information

- **Dimensions:** 66"×52"×1.5"
- **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/just-south-of-the-moon-triptych)
> Updated: 2026-05-20