“As an artist, I try to capture the essence and feeling of the subject.”
Creating busts and life-size sculptures in bronze and terra cotta, Michiel Van der Sommen represents the human figure in motion and in solitude. His art work has been commissioned by people and organizations throughout the United States, Europe and Canada, including the sculpture Elvis at 13 at Elvis Presley Birthplace, in Tupelo, Mississippi, and the first Vietnam veterans memorial in the United States, commissioned by the town of Montross, Virginia.
Beyond sculpting, Michiel combines his interest in creating three-dimensional works of art with his engineering background by pursuing an advanced level of study in architecture, particularly the study of the design of green buildings and sustainable energy by means of virtual reality 3D modeling.