Six Senses Douro Valley Sets Up Atelier with Workshops

Acclaimed Azulejos Restoration Artist Helena Ferreira Leads Program

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. September 20, 2017

LAMEGO, PT. September 20, 2017 - Six Senses Douro Valley is proud to bring on board internationally renowned artist Helena Ferreira as a way of paying tribute to Azulejos, the famous Portuguese art form expressed in the painted tiles that have become emblematic of Portuguese culture and heritage over the centuries. Guests have the unique opportunity to learn the skill themselves by joining a one-hour tile painting class with Helena, working side-by-side with the artist herself.

Arabs brought the fascinating and beautiful art form of Azulejos with them during their occupation of the peninsula some 800 years ago. The centuries that followed were a golden age of Portuguese exploration and colonization, its traders opening up remote posts all over Asia, Africa and America in the hundred years that followed, and these wonderful blue, white and gold panels can still be found around the globe, adorning churches and public buildings from Goa, to Mozambique, from East Timor to Brazil, and to the hundreds of remote island regions all over the planet.

Helena is herself a living example of the Portuguese peripatetic soul. Energetic, dedicated and flexible in her life approach, Helena learned her craft in Óbidos, a beautiful medieval-walled village north of Lisbon. From there she ventured all over the world restoring and creating azulejo art for decades. She has clients in France, India, Japan, Australia, USA and several South American countries, and has always combined her work with teaching in ceramic art schools in her global travels. Between 2007 and 2009 Helena joined a project in Goa, India, where she was in charge of a team of five artists who were restoring huge panels in a church while also teaching courses in artistic tile painting for children and adults.

By the end of 2009 Helena moved to the UK where she has worked for the past seven years for an interior design company on many fascinating commissions in private homes. Returning back to her Portuguese roots, Helena has accepted the challenge to set up her permanent atelier at Six Senses Douro Valley, where she will be creating many exciting workshops for the resort's clients of every age, as well as carrying on her work with international commissions and restoration projects from around the world. The one-hour workshop with Helena Ferriera starts at $60 per person.

For further information, contact [email protected].

SSDROValleyTilePainting1_lores.jpg Six Senses Douro Valley brings on board internationally renowned artist, Helena Ferreira. Click here to download this image in high resolution

SSDROValleyTilePainting2_lores.jpg Recovered 18th century Portuguese tiles on the walls of Vale de Abraão restaurant at Six Senses Douro Valley Click here to download this image in high resolution

About Six Senses Douro Valley

Six Senses Douro Valley's UNESCO World Heritage setting fronts onto the River Douro as it winds through the world's oldest demarcated wine region. The estate covers 19 acres with 57 guestrooms, suites and villas. Three restaurants highlight regional produce with a dedicated wine cellar featuring local vintages. Six Senses Spa comprises 10 treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pools and a gym. It presents specialty and local therapies and multi-day programs. An outdoor yoga pavilion is ideal for individuals and groups. The sun-kissed valley is at the heart of the region that offers activities and excursions by foot, vehicle or water.

About Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas operates 11 resorts and 31 spas in 20 countries under the brand names Six Senses, Evason and Six Senses Spas. Six Senses operates resorts in far-flung locations of incredible natural beauty known for their distinctive and diverse design personalities. Each of the nine properties is supported by a leadership commitment to community, sustainability, wellness and design. Six Senses hotels which share the same vision and values found at their award-winning resorts will premiere in the group's first urban location, New York City, in 2019. Six Senses Spas offers a wide range of holistic wellness, rejuvenation and beauty treatments administered under the guidance of expert therapists. Six Senses Spas are located in all Six Senses and Evason resorts; 18 additional standalone spas are located in prestigious hotels and resorts as well as the premier class lounges of two major airports. Evason introduces a collection of two unique resorts that follow the Six Senses philosophy of uncompromised responsibility to sustainability and to the community. Family friendly, these properties also provide a strong value focus while offering a vast array of guest services and personal attention. For further information, please contact:

Contact:
Emma Silverman
Eleven Six PR
[email protected]
646-780-0159