Tile Talk

When we left for Goa  I had one important agenda- to locate the young artist whose hand painted tiles were said to be simply stunning. So between the bingeing and the boating to the ship-casinos; the over eating and getting massaged-to-nirvana, we asked everyone, all and sundry. Viola!  we managed to get his name - Orlando de Noronha and that of his studio- Galeria Azulejos de Goa. Located in a more than 250 years old house in Panjim, both Orlando and his work blew us. Off the main rod you step into a small courtyard floored with multi-coloured- what else- myriad tiny tiles and suddenly, woosh you are decades away from the 21st century. You bring the bell and a voice from somewhere up says, come in please. We do and stand gaping around. A stairway leads up, on the side you step down into a little alcove like place where the walls come alive with stunning tile art, vibrant, alive and so quintessentially Goa. It's love at first sight, Like a greedy child in a sweet shop, I want everything.  The actual studio is upstairs, says the polite shop assistant and we traipse up and come into a small landing , there's stunning tile murals, portraits and much more.  Like Oliver Twist I ask for more. In between gaping and gawking, it seems like someone is watching us quietly. The one room gallery next to the landing has a window that opens midway above the stairs. With the lights behind her a young pretty woman, arms crossed over the sill and a shy smile is looking out. Only she is not for real! The shop assistant with an understanding smile answers our unasked question, that's a life size photo cut out of Orlando's wife Tina.

A little later a rather bashful Orlando walks in, he could be easily mistaken for a college kid. Naturally musically inclined (we are talking Goa remember!) Orlando won a music scholarship to Portugal. While  fine tuning his guitar skills, he discovered the Portuguese art of Azulejos and thank god for that. The studio was launched in 1998 and is the place for exquisite hand painted tiles. He also custom makes any orders.Orlando has also the copyright from Mario Miranda to reproduce some his works on tiles and they are simply dazzling. And if you wondering about price, rest assured they are very very reasonably priced. (In fact, after returning home I came across a decor magazine that featured the tiles in its product page and guess what, the pricing was more than triple!)

And the best part is that you don't have to go all the way to Goa to lay your hands on Orlando's works, he is online and couriers the tile art (www.azulejosdegoa.com) Email him at info@azulejosdegoa.com or simply call at+91-9822976867 or +91-9850930253.    

  
As we reluctantly leave the studio, the little table in the courtyard catches our attention. Simple, artistic and ingenious- a wood table laid with four tiles and a cross frame over it; remove the portable frame and it's a two-in-one table! Perfect.

  

Email: info@azulejosdegoa.com