MICHAEL GUSTAVSON Biography
Michael Gustavson's raku-fired ceramics are intricate exercises in the harmony of form, texture, and color. Equally successful as free-form organic sculptures and abstract paintings, the pieces incorporate lusciously textured glazes that perfectly complement the surface quality and shape of his compositions.
The artist's vessels explore a fluidity of form particular to clay. They are thrown on the wheel, distorted, and consequently hand stretched to paper-thin proportions. Each graceful form evokes a dancer's torso, shifting endlessly in shape and design as the viewer perambulates around it.
Gustavson's wall hangings, on the other hand, are fragmented shards that hang together as diptychs, triptychs, or five-slab arrangements. Incorporating the negative space between the pieces into the composition, he simultaneously employs organic and geometric shapes in muted glazes. The result evokes a timeless quality, alluding to the endurance of artistic achievements long after the artist and his culture have seized to exist.
Michael Gustavson's artworks are included in private and public collections throughout the world. Such major corporations as IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Seagate, Cranbrook Museum, and Eastman Kodak own pieces by the artist. Most recently his work has been sold to collectors in London, England and Norway.
MICHAEL GUSTAVSON Description
Gustavson's work is unique in that he uses the traditional Japanese process of raku but presents it in a contemporary form. He appreciates the spontaneity and firing process of this ancient art form. The glazes he uses are textural and often appeal to one's sense of touch. This comes as no surprise, as Gustavson emphasizes surface quality and texture.
MICHAEL GUSTAVSON Resumé
SELECTED CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Apple Computer, Morgan Hill, CA
Bank of Tokyo, Philadelphia, PA
Boulder Community Hospital, Boulder, CO
Crankbrook University, Cranbrook, MI
Cabrillo Community College, Santa Cruz, CA
David Cutler Corp, Bell, PA
Kaiser Hospital, Irvine, CA
Kaiser Hospital, Bellflower, CA
Kaiser Hospital, Denver, CO
MacDonald Corp, Chicago, IL
Saks Fifth Avenue, Miami, FL
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY
Sea Tac Airport, Seattle, WA
Sequim Medical Center, Sequim, WA
Syntax, Santa Clara, CA
Seagate Corp, Bloomington, MI
Wydell & Reed Corp, San Jose, CA
World Headquarters Bank, San Francisco, CA
SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
David Cone
Goldie Hawn
Dr. Linus Pauley
Jerry Weintraub, Palm Desert, CA
Diane Carroll
Owners of Philadelphia 76
EDUCATION
1977-1978 San Jose State University, Master of Fine Arts
1976-1977 San Jose State University, Master of Arts
1973-1975 San Jose State University, Bachelor of Arts
