Rafael del Campo

Alison’s and my primary responsibility with Manos Amigas these days is visiting artisans, photographing them in their workshops, and writing their stories.  One recent visit was with Rafael del Campo.

“I am a painter, drawer, sculptor, and artisan,” Rafael del Campo says when I ask what type of artesanía he produces. “Currently, I produce decorative objects.” At present, his most popular product is nativities.

Rafael and his wife pictured in his workshop.

He is from Matucana, about 3 hours from Lima, in the central jungle. His wife is from Barranco, a southern district of Lima. He came to Lima for his education. “Everyone comes here for their studies because, even though there are universities in other parts of Peru, they do not offer all of the options that Lima universities do. Everyone believes that the capital is the future. The problem is that then there are no more opportunities in the jungle, since all the young people have gone to the city.”

He learned artesanía by working in other workshops. While his parents were artistic and appreciated various art forms, they didn’t cultivate artistic expression in their children. He studied at Bellas Artes, the fine arts academy. Rafael started working in artesanía in 1986 and opened his own workshop in 1990. His work then was more artistic, less commercial than his current work.

He established his current workshop in 2006 and is careful to explain that “Ceramica Nueva” refers to his commitment to Christianity six years ago. Prior to that, he says, there were days when he and his family woke up without any money to buy even bread. But since he has dedicated himself to God, he has been successful.

He lives and works in a small one story building, most of it taken up by his workshop. “We are in the process of expanding,” he says, showing me the two cramped rooms where 12 people work, creating the molds, drying the figures, firing two kilns, painting the figurines and assembling the pieces. “We have applied for the necessary permits to expand, but,” he says, with a shrug, “what can you do? We have been waiting for 2 months for approval and I know we’ll have to wait for at least 2 months more before we get the approval for a roof. We are also talking to the bank for the financing we need to complete the expansion.”

Every inch of space is used in Rafael’s small but busy workshop.  Upon entering it is plain to see it is a place full of life and activity.

Rafael’s business has been impacted by the falling dollar, but in a different way than most: “We have been affected tremendously. But while we receive less money for our work, we are now getting more orders.” He is thankful to have so much work when that is not a common story among his colleagues. He has not had to lay off any workers or take on additional jobs to make ends meet. “Before I opened Ceramica Nueva, I had to supplement my income with sculpting, but now I can make enough to support my family.”

He is busy with orders from Manos Amigas and other clients. “I have three clients but don’t have the capacity to take on more.” He has worked with Manos Amigas for two and a half years, since 2009. One of his friends worked in a workshop that sold to Manos Amigas and introduced him to Manos Amigas. Manos Amigas currently represents 40% of his annual sales.

Manos Amigas is his only fair trade client. It is very important to him to work with fair trade, since he can trust that he will get paid, that he will get paid on time, and that he will receive the 50% advance to purchase his materials and pay his workers. “Others delay with the payment and it affects me.”

An order is being fulfilled for a Japanese client of Manos Amigas.

Rafael showed us additional product samples he had created, functional objects with creative twists, such as a pitcher with two knobs instead of a handle; a teapot that heats up the teacup and fits perfectly inside; a platter that is meant to evoke a potato, Peru’s most popular crop, complete with eyes.

He hopes to be able to expand in this direction, using different glazes, different styles, incorporating more of his artistic skills, in the future. “I would like to diversify into producing these utilitarian objects as well, but I need another, higher-quality kiln to successfully expand into that area.”

Pictured above is a teapot cup combination design that Rafael has made in his attempt to branch out to more utilitarian products.

He and his wife have three children: Julio, 13, Gabriel, 11, and José María, 8. His children help out in the workshop at times and he gives them monetary tips for their work. He thinks they will all follow in his footsteps to be artisans: “They can see how well we have done for ourselves via artesanía. They want to study administration and other subjects to bring that knowledge back to the workshop too.”

Rafael demonstrates the utilitarian use of his artistically designed water pitcher.