Eclipse 12
Eclipse 12
1 2

Michael Gustavson

Eclipse 12
$2,000
$2,000
Sale Sold out

Michael Gustavson

$2,000
$2,000
Sale Sold out
Glazed ceramic
18"×9"×6"

Glazed ceramic

18"×9"×6"

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Eclipse 12
Eclipse 12
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About

The Piece

Curved and leaning, this small standing form has a restless energy that more upright works don't always have. Bold sections of yellow, red, and teal sit against a cooler ground, the tilt of the form giving the whole piece a sense of momentum. Gustavson's vessels often suggest the human figure in motion, and this quality carries into the smaller sculptural works as well.

Dripped glaze marks move across the surface, a reminder that fire and gravity both play a role in how the work comes together. The reduction atmosphere in the kiln locks these marks in permanently, making a moment of process part of the finished piece.

Small in scale but fully alive.

 

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About

The Artist

The Artist
About

The Artist

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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