When the couple bought a house in 2023, they explained to The Portugal News that they “had fallen in love with Azulejos,” Portugal’s famous tiles, and wanted something uniquely Portuguese in their courtyard.

Their interior designer, João Soares, recommended Jaime Fortuna, one of Portugal’s leading tile artists. Meeting with Jaime and his son Rui Fortuna, Natalie, a writer, and Carl, an international DJ, requested a mural that told their story, incorporating their musical and literary passions.

Set against a backdrop of Portugal’s vineyards, fruit trees, wine and cheese, and a small windmill from Alcochete under a golden sun, the mural evolved through various changes while retaining its essential structure.

With the help of visual content provided by Natalie and Carl, Jaime and Rui completed the landscape. Rui mentioned to The Portugal News that the most challenging part was “the framing of the characters within the dimensions and format of the mural and the harmonious and logical interconnection of all the architectural and landscape elements.”

Natalie and Carl expressed their delight with the artist’s work, even at the sketch stage. After installing the mural in their courtyard, they were “completely wowed with the vivid and bold” storytelling, calling it “breathtaking.” Rui described the mural as “a work that brings together completely different elements in a relatively small space, but which manage to relate to each other, with a colour harmony between them.”

Although Portuguese tiles are traditionally blue and white, Jaime diverged from tradition by using a kaleidoscope of colours. Rui told The Portugal News that the work was fulfilling as “it met the client’s expectations,”

whilst Natalie and Carl lauded Jaime’s talent, kindness, and ability to capture their ideas translated from English through his son, Rui.

Now, the couple are happily living in their adopted country, with a piece of art that tells their story and inspires them daily with a vision of their life, who they are, and what they love.

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos