About the studio teachers

Rui Carruço


Rui Carruço was born in the 1970s in Lisbon. He pursued an academic path always connected to the exact sciences, which he is passionate about, until he decided to combine this passion with Art, specifically painting. Painting from an early age, experimenting and taking risks as a self-taught artist, he began to approach painting as an organized activity around 1998.

In 2000, he attended the drawing course at the National Society of Fine Arts in Lisbon, in 2003 the Engraving Course at the Portuguese Engravers Cooperative, and in 2004 the Renaissance Painting Techniques course at the Angel Academy of Arts in Florence.

In 2013, he co-founded the Atelier Internacional de Belas Artes, where he continues to teach painting classes.


He is represented in several public collections, such as the Embassy of Portugal in Poland in Warsaw, the Lisbon Carmo Hotel, Sintra City Hall, Amadora City Hall, Lourinhã City Hall, the Oureana Cultural Foundation, and in various private collections, including the collection of King Kigeli V of Rwanda, the collection of Prince Ermias Sahle of Ethiopia in New York, and the collection of Cicciolina in Rome.

Rui Carruço has held numerous group and solo exhibitions in various parts of the world.

Selection of Awards and Distinctions

2022- Selected artist by CEPE Switzerland (Portuguese Education in Switzerland) to celebrate World Arts Day
2020 - “Amália Rodrigues” Award, António Prates Foundation/Portuguese Serigraphy Center
2019 - Selected artist for the Escrivarte project (Creative writing project based on Rui Carruço's paintings and coordinated by the Portuguese Philology area of ​​the USAL - University of Salamanca, Autonomous Region of Madrid, Santiago de Compostela and Porto)
2017- Prix Spécial in 20th Paris Salon of Contemporary Art
2017- Personality Award 2016 - Vila Real Artes 17, Vila Real
2015 - 1st Place, Gold Medal at São Brás de Alportel International Painting Salon
2014 - 1st Place, Gold Medal at Estoril's 3rd International Art Salon “State of Art”
2006 - Painting and Sculpture Award - Artur Bual – II Edition, Amadora
2004 - Painting Award D. Fernando II - 8th Edition, Sintra

Ângela Pinheiro


Born in Lisbon in 1978, Ângela Pinheiro grew up in a home where the studio was "the most active space in the house.

She completed the Arts course at António Arroio, years that were definitively important in her artistic formation.

With a degree in Architecture, she doesn't forgo watercolors in bringing her ideas to life.

In addition to group exhibitions and participation in international biennials, she has held several solo exhibitions and has been awarded in various painting competitions. She regularly participates in “Live Painting Meetings” across the country.

Recently, she participated in the 2015 International Watercolour Convention “Fabriano in Watercolour.”

Paula Carichas


Paula Carichas holds a degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon, specializing in drawing and figure painting.

She has held various positions at the faculty, most notably as a nude model drawing instructor. She is currently completing a Master's degree in Drawing, specializing in scientific and archaeological drawing.

Portraiture is her preferred subject, although she also devotes considerable time to figure and landscape. To date, she has focused more on realism but has recently begun exploring expressionism, inspired by Erich Fromm’s maxim: “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”

Paula Carichas has participated in numerous exhibitions, and her resume already includes several illustrations in school and archaeological books.

Margarida Fernandes


Margarida Fernandes lives in Almada and holds a degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon.

She attended the International Fine Arts Atelier and is associated with the Urban Sketchers.

She has participated in several exhibitions in cultural institutions, including the Gulbenkian and Paula Rego’s Casa das Histórias, where she has been distinguished with several awards.

The human body and landscape are her favorite themes. She enjoys working with large formats, taking risks by combining materials, and experimenting with different supports.

She has an interest in dreamlike dimensions and the ambiguity of forms, which can lead to abstractionism. She has a fondness for sketchbooks, using drawing as a way to understand time and provide an intrinsic awareness of the world around us.

Rui Pinheiro


Rui Pinheiro was born in Sintra in 1944 and revealed his vocation for the visual arts at an early age.

He is self-taught and prefers watercolor as his means of expression.

Rural and urban landscapes, the beautiful nooks of our country, and the movement of the human figure invariably appear in his compositions. True to his painting style, he does not follow trends, placing himself in a naturalistic figurative style, expressed in a gently colored rhythm, in a tender vision of someone who portrays what they love and believe in, with authenticity and optimism.

His resume includes several awards in painting contests and salons, and he is represented in several private collections in Portugal and abroad. He has exhibited regularly since 1986, with 60 solo exhibitions and more than a hundred group exhibitions.


In 2003, he was honored by Sintra City Hall with the Silver Medal of "Municipal Merit." His love for Fado dates back to his youth. However, he spent several years in football, being a goalkeeper for Sintrense, Desportivo da CUF, Oriental, and other clubs.

Later, he dedicated himself to painting and simultaneously began attending places where "Fado Vadio" was sung. Opportunities to start singing arose, and since then, Fado has been taking up more space in his life.

Selection of Awards and Distinctions

1991/92/93 - 1º Prémio Aguarela - Misericórdia de Sintra
1992 - 1º Prémio de Aguarela - Rotary Club de Sintra, 2º Prémio de Aguarela - Câmara de Salvaterra de Magos, 2º Prémio de Aguarela - Misericórdia de Sintra Menção Honrosa Pequeno Formato - APPLA - Lisboa
1996 - Menção Honrosa - Academia da Marinh
1998 - 1º Prémio - Câmara Municipal de Manguald
1999 - 1º Prémio - "Pintar Tavira"
2000 - 3º Prémio - "Pintar Tavira" 3º Prémio - Câmara de Arcos de Valdevez
2001 - 2º Prémio - "Pintar Tavira", 1º Prémio de Aguarela - Câmara de Salvaterra de Magos, 1º Prémio de Aguarela - Casa do Ribatejo
2003 - Medalha de Bronze - Casa do Ribatejo -Lisboa
2005 - Menção Honrosa - Câmara Municipal de Arraiolos
2010 - 1º Prémio de Aguarela - Casa do Ribatejo