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Dan Sommerfeld - Ceramic Artist 

Bio Daniel Sommerfeld has always enjoyed artistic pursuits from childhood on through the years. After high school, he  decided to enroll in the Mechanical Engineering program at  General Motors Institute, but he became frustrated by the  lack of creativity within this program. While pursuing an  Industrial Design degree at Western Michigan University, he  discovered a passion for working in clay. After pulling a tendon in his arm, Dan focused his attention  on handbuilding never looking back. Currently, he  concentrates on extruded and slipcast pieces designed with  an architectural feel. Endless possibilities exist within a  freshly extruded section; depending on how it is trimmed and  assembled defines it as a unique, individual work of art. Dan concentrates on salt-firing with the addition of a yearly  anagama firing. He is fascinated with these firings as  unexpected results often occur. He uses slips and engobes  as decorative elements in combination with a palette of  glazes. He experiments with many different glazes to find the appropriate ones for both firing methods. Dan is becoming highly regarded as a clay artist specializing  in profound handbuilt forms. He is located in Kalamazoo,  Michigan.

Awards and Honors 2008 Muskegon Museum of Art 80th Regional Exhibition: WMPG Eleanor Smith Memorial Award for Ceramics Susan Meston Purchase Award