| Erich Broennimann |
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Erich Broennimann was born and educated in Switzerland. He moved to California in 1965 and has made Hawai‘i his home since 1988 and currently lives with his wife Anita, a fiber artist, in Ocean View on the Big Island. Erich works in both bronze and clay but prefers clay because it gives him “a connection to the simple, timeless Mother Earth.” All work is individually hand-formed, without potter’s wheel, press or mold. Of necessity, each piece is different and has its own personality. The firing is done in a arched wood-burning down-draft kiln. The firing requires a crew of people to feed wood every few minutes for four days and night until the temperature reaches 2400ºF/1315ºC. At this temperature, the clay becomes glass-like and waterproof. Through the prolonged firing, the ash settles on the pieces to produce a unique, colorful, nontoxic glaze. |
