My first evening in Portugal, I visited Azulejos Artesanal, a tile factory in the village of Bicesse. Ruí has been painting tiles by hand for decades, and he gave me a personal tour of the facility. Whether he’s painting original new tiles made from clay that he baked in the on-site oven, or restoring 18th-century tiles from an abandoned building, Ruí is an Old World artist, patiently committed to his craft with passion and integrity.

You can see the rest of the photos on my site here: http://stevecookphotography.com/rui/.