# Winter Wind - Vessel

Wide and low, the form settles into itself rather than reaching upward. Deep blacks form the ground across much of the surface, with bold sections of green, teal, cream, and red sitting against it in clean, confident planes. A fine web of crackle runs through several of the lighter areas, a direct record of the heat moving through the clay. Gustavson builds this kind of surface through his own studio-developed raku process, introducing pine needles into the kiln at lower temperatures to create a reduction atmosphere while the work remains inside. A vessel that changes depending on where you stand.

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

## Details

- **Price:** 4200.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Art Scout
- **Type:** Ceramic Sculpture
- **Tags:** buy original art online, California artist, ceramic sculpture, collector art, Michael Gustavson, original sculpture, raku, vessel

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 4200.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Winter Wind Vessel – wide low studio raku ceramic vessel by Gustavson with deep black ground carrying bold planes of green, teal, cream, and red, fine crackle recording kiln heat, two sides reading differently from each other
- Winter Wind Vessel by Gustavson – detail of bold green, teal, and red planes against deep black raku ground with crackle recording kiln heat
- Winter Wind Vessel by Gustavson – full view of wide low ceramic vessel changing depending on where you stand with four-decade refined raku process
- Winter Wind Vessel by Gustavson – close-up of crackle texture in lighter areas as direct record of heat passing through clay in studio raku firing
- Winter Wind Vessel by Gustavson – ceramic vessel in room showing low wide form and two distinct sides
- Winter Wind - Vessel

## Additional Information

- **Dimensions:** 15"×24"×14"
- **Artist Material:** Raku-fired 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/winter-wind-vessel-gustavson)
> Updated: 2026-05-20