A determination to pass on the craft
- Rafael has been working with ceramics since 1982
- He teaches his craft to the next generation in vocational programmes
- His works are inspired by the local tradition of everyday objects
Rafael Galindo's training in ceramics was unconventional. "I learned within a collective called La Patera in Vila-real, led by Filippo Doppioni, a former teacher at the Gaetano Ballardini School in Faenza," he says. "We learned through joint work and experimentation, under Filippo's supervision, but above all from the mutual interaction between all the members of the collective." Rafael's entry into the craft was a coincidence. "Meeting the members of La Patera, I chose to continue and deepen my interest in artistic ceramics, captivated by the creation of ceramic objects, especially in the tradition set by Llorens Artigas, Shoji Hamada, and Bernard Leach, among others, 50 years ago." After completing his degree, Rafael first worked as a technician in ceramic tile manufacturing, and later moved into teaching ceramic technology in vocational schools within the public education system. He took up his own creative endeavours in 1987, while remaining in teaching throughout his working life.
Interview
- What is the relationship between the materials you work with and Vila-real?
- Many of the raw materials I use in my work are extracted from my surroundings, such as certain clays used in compositions and in the slip glazes, as well as certain minerals. Moreover, my repertoire of shapes often derives from traditional forms moulded here for hundreds of years on the wheel or by hand.
- Do you specialise in any specific technique?
- One never fully masters a technique. I am sufficiently skilled at wheel throwing, mould work, formulation of glazes, wood firing, and working with cardboard moulds.
- How important is the construction of kilns for you?
- Building a wood-fired kiln is one of the activities that profoundly impact a ceramicist, as it involves intense cross-disciplinary learning, from masonry techniques and refractory materials, to fundamentals of ceramic material firing, heat transport, insulation, expansions, and much more.
- Which artisans do you admire?
- For wheel throwing or mould work, I have been greatly influenced by the work of Llorens Artigas, Shoji Hamada, and Bernard Leach. Among contemporary ceramicists, I find Miguel Molet, Ramón Fort, Maria Oriza, Joan Llàcer, and Denis Di Luca very inspiring.
Rafael Galindo is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1982
Where
Rafael Galindo
