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		Olinda Colaço, The Painter From Marinha Grande Descendant of one of the first glass artisan’s families, Olinda Colaço started painting very early, beginning with oil paintings, watercolors, and finally glass art painting This artisan joins emotions with art, coming forward through the color and decoration of her pieces, which include stirring motives such as flowers, birds, and scenes inspired in ancient cultures, namely the Chinese and the Egyptian ones.... (read more)
		Stoned Pottery of Nisa When we reach Nisa, one thing we notice right away: along the roadsides are displayed earthen pots (bilhas), water pots, small water jugs (cantarinhas). In a sunny day, between that red clay panorama, are thousands of little shining dots. It are the tiny Quartz gems that are inlaid on the clay pieces, and so characterize and distinguish this kind of pottery - The Stoned Pottery of Nisa ... (read more)
		Apeles Coelho, the Pewter Artisan Apeles Coelho, an artisan who learned the art of working with pewter from the so-called “ Maltese”, Hungarian born gypsies, who traveled along the Alentejo and were masters in pewtering the olive- oil presses and wine distilleries. Since his youth, Apeles Coelho was stimulated and encouraged by his Antiquary godfather, father of the famous Portuguese poetess Florbela Espanca, to renew ancient pieces. He then engaged in, with great zeal, in the production of original copies of 16th and 17th Century pieces, and so his artisan’s career began... (read more)
		Redondo Pottery Redondo is a village located at the northern part of Alentejo, in the Mid-South of Portugal, known as being the Village of the Common People’s Pottery. Besides producing wines of excellent quality, this village has become known for its typical handcrafted pottery. When one walks along the narrow streets of the Redondo village, there are, at each corner, potters, in front of whom are displayed pitchers, pots, amphorae, painted plates, jars and many other typically colored pieces. ... (read more)
		Libano, the Crystal Great Master Crystal cutting is an art with a long and noble tradition in Marinha Grande, which still remains a handicraft. The decoration of the crystal pieces reaches its highest splendor when the acid and wheel engraving techniques are used, in addition to the cutting. Chloride acid engraving is a decoration method that consists in taking advantages out of the corrosive effect that this acid has on crystal glass. Sketching upon the piece using acid is basically what these techniques consist in, and Marinha Grande has a known and very acknowledged artisan to offer: Master Libano... (read more)
		Antónia & Fernanda, the Nisa Embroiderers In the beautiful village of Nisa, one finds the "Group of Alinhavados" that was created 11 years ago by Fernanda Crespo and Antónia Polido. This group is one of the finest and best examples in what concerns the art of transforming line threads into true masterpieces. The finished pieces are of a unquestionable beauty and perfection... (read more)
		Tibaldinho Embroiderers Tibaldinho is a small village located in the municipality of Mangualde, southwesterly of Viseu, which still has an ancient grouping of small granite houses with very narrow streets and alleys. This one and other neighboring villages characterize and single out the plateau region of the central inland of Portugal, called Beira, where the deep furrow of the river Dão stands out. In spite of being the name of a village, Tibaldinho evokes, for to the majority of people living nearby, one of the most traditional and typical arts of the region: the Embroidery Art of Tibaldinho. ... (read more)
		Conímbriga Ceramic In the city of Coimbra and its municipality, located in the central region of Portugal, ceramics are produced for many centuries. In fact, the most ancient written document referring to National Ceramics production exists here, and is dated from 1145. Today, the faience painted in this region, usually called ”Coimbra earthenware”, is unique in Portugal, and represents the Oriental tradition as well as the Arabian style influence. ... (read more)
		António, The Potter of Molelos Black Earthenware Molelos is a village of the municipality of Tondela, in the district of Viseu, that is located in the region of Beira Alta, in an area flanked by two ridges of mountains at the central region of Portugal (the mountain of Caramulo and the mountain of Estrela). This village is one of the last places where ceramics is still manufactured by the reduction cooking process, which allows the obtaining of pieces of black clay. ... (read more)
		Carlos e Xana, the Molelos Innovators Carlos Lima and Alexandra Monteiro live and work in the village of Molelos, close to Viseu in the Beira Alta region of Portugal. Carlos' and Xana’s workshop is called “Hut of the Potters”, and is located hidden at the end of the village, surrounded by pine trees. When we enter in this hut, we come across several clays waiting for the most favourable time to be cooked in the firewood oven, and of which no one knows which shape they will get. ... (read more)
		Isilda Parente and the Viana do Castelo Embroidery Isilda Parente, born in the parish of Perre, who since 1985 embraced with great dedication in the art of the traditional embroideries of Viana do Castelo. She dignifies this traditional art earnestly, watching over the quality of the embroideries with a hawk’s eye. The richness and perfection of the embroidery, and the concern to preserve the antique, traditional motifs on the embroideries, are remarkably evident on the fine pieces she has been producing. To add that these motifs and the tradition behind them are the reason why the people of Alto Minho are so proud of their embroideries. ... (read more)
		Manel, the Blacksmith of the Castle Manel inherited his father's profession, but only about 5 years ago he felt true and deep interest in this art, making nowadays reproductions of ancient pieces and restorations. He loves to work at his workshop with the fire, the chisel and the anvil in the same way as it was done hundreds of years ago, there, inside the castle of Alandroal. ... (read more)
		Artémis, Glazed Tiles Painting Alexandra Alves possesses a vast portfolio and she has done many exhibitions throughout the whole country. This artist is influenced by many different artistic domains: starting with the most traditional Portuguese Figurative style, to the new tendencies of the Glazed tiles painting art, such as the ones drawn by Maria Keil or the remarkable cubist and abstract paintings of Amadeo de Souza Cardoso. ... (read more)
		Júlia Côta. Modelling Life in Clay Modelling life in clay, is to give free rein to the imagination to produce burlesque figures, animals, religious pictures and figures, usually reinterprete them in a mixture of respect and mockery, or representing scenes of work and play from rural life. These are some of the examples of the astonishing and exuberant veriety of forms, themes and colors than we normally call the Figures of Barcelos, in the northern region of Portugal. ... (read more)
		Mystery, the figures of Barcelos It is a family that executes with your hands these Saints and others religious figures through the art of clay by the figures of Barcelos that in spite of authentic in the everyday of your village, Galegos, usually reinterprete them in a mixture of respect and mockery, All the pieces done by these artisans they are signed with the name "Mystery". The name Mystery was the nickname given to the father (Domingos Gonçalves) of the current owners of the workshop. ... (read more)
		Joaquim Moreira, craftsman of musical instruments Joaquim António Jesus Moreira, 44, learned your art by the 20 years of age with your father Alberto Moreira beginning, at that date, produce musical instruments of string variety (guitars, ukeleles and mandolins). Nowadays, besides the work that develops at own workshop, Joaquim not only builds instruments as well as restore and recover them.... (read more)
		Aliança Artesanal Cooperative (Vila Verde - Minho) In the Alto Cávado (Northern Portugal), for example, the “lovers’ handkerchiefs” were finely embroidered items of linen with decorative motifs and poetic verses that the young girls wrote and offered to the love of their life. To mark their agreement, the chosen one would then wear the handkerchief around his neck for the next few days and couples and marriages were thus formed. This old tradition (17th century) is still a symbol of the region’s cultural identity.... (read more)
		Shoemaker in the Figures of Clay Maria da Conceição Alves Fernandes, a shoemaker's daughter, learned with your mother the art of moulding the clay. The city of Barcelos is without a doubt the national center to all the potters. A sort of "school" created it self here, and is transmitted to the exterior with great success and continuity. The "Figures of Barcelos" is one of the most authentic expressions in the popular Portuguese imaginary.... (read more)
		António Adauta, the Roman Mosaics Embroider António Adauta was an engineering student in Coimbra that fell in love with the art of the existent mosaics in the famous Roman ruins of Conímbriga in 1990. It was then that the António began a work of adaptation of the drawings of these beautiful Roman mosaics for pictures to the Arraiolos stitch. ... (read more)
		Tiago & Magda Oficinadaterra- The soul of ceramics The Earth Workshop (oficinadaterra) Gallery emerged through an act of grace. One also discovers the world as it is through grace: sometimes it is light and simple, sometimes dark and complicated. If the world were to be summed up in a single clay sculpture what would its soul be like? ... (read more)
		Bird House Carlos Reis and Miguel Barros meet in 2000 and decided to do from the nest boxes, created by Carlos some years ago, a way to helping wining life, start working together, doing a very eco clean business and offering them a life style as they like. ... (read more)