One of the wonderful things about traveling is viewing new architecture styles. Azulejo is a form of Portuguese painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tile work. It comes from an Arabic word, az-zulayj, which directly translates to “polished stone.”  It has been produced for five centuries and the tradition is also seen in former Spanish and Portuguese colonies throughout the world. Azulejo is a major aspect in Portuguese architecture. The tiles are on the interior and exterior of all types of different buildings from residential homes to city fountains. They are gorgeous and bring so much color to what could be an ordinary street. At home, I pretty much see tiles just inside a home in the bathroom or kitchen. I love walking around Portuguese streets and seeing so much beautiful blue in an intricate art placed in various places. It’s inspiring to see unique walls and objects in a village or city. Looking at these colorful buildings encourages me to go home and paint something! Do colorful buildings inspire you?

The tiles are still hand-painted today.

Photos courtesy of Ma