General Manager of the Taj Holiday Village commissioned a Goan themed Indo Portuguese mural for the main entrance of the Taj Exotica. Impressed by his work, Monteiro went on to commission a two hundred sq feet pool panel for the hotel depicting sand and sea waves. From then on the work poured in from hotels like the Intercontinental and Club Mahindra among others. Orlando began hand painting mementos, in 2002 which he displayed at his gallery at home, his wife Tina took over as the manager so they could spend more time together after the birth of their son. Orlando now has a work station in Santa Inez where he creates his beautiful pieces of ceramic art. He takes us through the process, explaining in detail the Majollica technique, where the tile is made, glazed and hand painted over with colours sourced from Portugal, the tile is then fired at a high temperature causing the colours to fuse with the tile. The final product is awe inspiring. The pretty patterns in myriad shades are a throwback to the bygone era. Orlando’s gallery in Panjim-Azulejos de Goa, stocks plenty of beautifully hand painted tiles depicting Goa and its people- the toddy tapper, the fisherman and the village baker a subtle reminder of the days gone by. The lower level of the gallery aptly titled ‘Mario’s Balcão’ is dedicated to Mario Miranda’s iconic art, immortalized by Orlando on ceramic tiles. You can also adorn your home with bits of colourful history in the form of customized name plaques, borders, plates, souvenirs like bags and coasters, he also dabbles in corporate and personalized gifting, Orlando has recently introduced designer bathroom basins and designer crockery with customized monograms. You can visit his quaint gallery in Panjim or place your order online through his website: http://www.azulejosdegoa.com
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