that the houses were built to be cool on hot summer days, and warmer in the cold winter nights. But, as much as I loved my house, I had a vision and needed to act on it if I was going to be able to stay there.

As I embarked on a simple project of replacing a few faulty kitchen tiles, it went from a one-month quickfix project to a year-long escapade. There has been significant removal of submerged and broken pipes, many a tree root and finally, some more than adequate progress of rebuilding. I was determined to create a space that would work with the traditional style of the house but introduce a more modern vibe, while keeping the authenticity of what the Algarve has to offer.

A special partnership

Then, every once in a while, you meet someone whose artistic chemistry is unmatched. For me, it was Ângelo Encarnação. A contemporary painter, I had heard of him long before meeting him. And one day he was standing in my driveway, helping a friend with a project in my yard. I like to chat and to get to know people. I like to talk about their ideas and I want to know what inspires them and what they are passionate about. After a few conversations, I knew he was a sort of kindred spirit.

Coming from a small town in the United States, similar to the size of Faro, I made a living shooting and directing for international clients with tight timelines and usually more than strict guidelines. Ângelo was born in Tavira, and has journeyed through the landscapes of Europe painting what he is inspired by. There can sometimes be a big rift

TURNING THE BIG EMPTY SPACES OF AN OLD ALGARVIAN FARMHOUSE INTO A LIVING WORK OF ART WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL INTENTION. BUT INSPIRED THINKING AND THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP TOOK OVER AND WROUGHT THEIR MAGIC

Words and pictures: KATHRYN BARNARD in those two ideals. But, we connected over many familiar beliefs. And one evening, over a bottle of wine and some small fried fish, we started discussing his painting and my remodelling plans.

I asked him if he would be interested in creating murals in my unfinished space. He would have carte blanche and we would throw a casual art installation and party. It would be a one-evening event and then we would paint over them and go back to the simple minimalist design I had envisioned. Most likely, due to the fact that it was towards the end of the bottle of wine, he happily agreed! We picked a date, and gave ourselves six weeks.

The next weekend, after a few hours of looking at the walls he turned to me and said: “I want to bring the outside in.” Exactly what I had said four years previously. It was perfect. He completely understood the house and my desire, without knowing anything of my vision.

As the weeks progressed, I realised that moving an artist into a current working remodel wasn’t as easy as I thought. So, we waited. As we pondered the details of the party, Ângelo was very gracious and every once in a while would comment about how he needed to start painting. But he was extremely patient and used his energy to create a series of bird stamps to start promoting the event, and used them to make cards and personalise our cups and napkins for the party. He used recycled cardboard to make birds of different species for the walls and made amazing replicas of my kittens, James and Henri for the murals.

The day finally arrived and he was able to get inside and start painting. It was then that he truly realized what he had taken on and just how big these walls actually were and how little time he had. We used the paint and primer from Richimi Factory, the company supplying the plaster, paint and micro cement, a multitude of brushes and tints, and old plates and cups to act as artists’ palettes.

With no actual windows installed yet, it was still quite cold in the evenings. So, the fire burned and the music played. It was extremely enjoyable to see a house that had been cold and dark for months have some warmth and life in it. I was able to imagine what it will be like once the dust settles and it’s finally a home again.

Taking shape, setting a style

Watching him work was truly fascinating. He started on one wall and then moved to another after a few days, standing back from scene to scene, looking from afar, and sometimes tweaking very small details to completely re-imagine what he had done previously. He did it completely freehand and off photos he took or ones I would supply. After several hours, I would reluctantly retire for the evening and give him space.

He often paintied until the early hours of the morning – we were like ships passing in the night. During these few weeks, it was like Christmas every morning. I would walk in and see what had transpired, sometimes dismayed because one of my favourite scenes had been transformed, at other times amazed at what had been created.

As the weeks progressed, it was also enjoyable to watch the guys working on the house walk in every morning and look at the walls. I knew the murals were doing what they were ultimately intended to do when I saw them taking pictures to send to their families back home, and I would hear them chat excitedly about what they were seeing for the first time.

During the painting, Ângelo would take a much-needed and welldeserved break from the murals. He would spend time feeding and tending to my newly-acquired pet pigs, making sure they had a comfortable house to sleep in or a cooling mud pit in which to bury themselves. In the end, the pigs made it to the walls as well, with their subtle personalities showing through.

Branching out

It was then that I started thinking about one last detail. I kept looking at the vast empty spaces and wanted to add something more. Something tangible. I had been in love with this tree on my property – an old almond tree, twisted and worn with years of wind, rain and heat embedded in its story.

I kept envisioning it inside one of my new rooms; I knew it would fit, maybe not in its original form, but it would fit. I had my landscapers come, and with both of us to guide them, they cut the limbs, one by one. Carefully, they marked each cut on both sides so we could re-create its shape. Two days later, a beautiful piece of art had been created.

I was inspired by the idea of the tree of my old neighbour in Seattle. I was always wandering the streets with my dogs and would get ideas from creative people surviving lockdown.

This one house had an old tree and used it to create a ‘Tree of Hope and Inspiration.’ The owners set up a table with cards and pens. People stopped by and wrote their thoughts – a poem perhaps, or a little work of art. They would then hang them on the tree and others would stop and read the multitude of messages.

My hope was to create the same for this event, and to offer an interactive experience with the cards using the bird stamps that Ângelo had created.

In the end, the final touches were being added until the moment the guests arrived. It was a beautiful spring evening, and, as a bird of prey hovered above my garden, looking for its evening meal, the sun set and lit up the heron and flamingoes on the back wall of my future kitchen.

Needless to say, my walls have not, and probably now will never be painted. I am now imagining my house with these immensely colourful murals full of life, love and memories that created the Outside In experience. I couldn’t wish for anything more.

You can see more of Ângelo’s work at @angeloencart, more of Kathryn’s work at @kathrynbarnardphoto, and their collaboration at @outside_in_tavira

THE SALES OF AIR FRYERS ARE SOARING - UP 300% IN THE PAST YEAR. DISCOVERING A NEW WAY TO COOK THAT SAVES ON TIME AND POWER CONSUMPTION IS HUGELY APPEALING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU FIND THE RECIPES THAT ARE FAR REMOVED FROM CHICKEN AND CHIPS

Harissa Chicken Gyros

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

 2 tbsp harissa paste

 juice of 1 lemon

 1 tsp paprika

 1 tsp Cajun seasoning

 1 tsp ground cumin

 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs

 salt and pepper, to taste

 3 supermarket gyros, flatbreads or pittas

 handful of rocket

 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

 small handful of pickled red onions (shop-bought)

For The Sauce

 5 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt

 juice of 1 lemon

 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method

1 Combine the harissa, lemon juice, paprika, Cajun seasoning, cumin and salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat the chicken with this mixture.

2 If you can, preheat the air fryer for 2–3 minutes because adding the chicken to the hot drawer will give it an extra bit of char. Air-fry at 200°C for 12 minutes

3 While the chicken is cooking, combine the yoghurt with the lemon juice and crushed garlic cloves.

4 Heat the gyros or flatbreads and assemble, stuffing with the chicken and rocket and drizzling over the yogurt sauce, then top with the pomegranate seeds and pickled red onions.

SWEET POTATO & CHORIZO HASH

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

 600g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

 1 tbsp oil or low-calorie oil spray

 1 tbsp paprika

 150g chorizo, sliced

 1 tbsp light or half-fat butter

 ½ tsp chilli flakes

 1 garlic clove, grated

 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt

 salt and pepper, to taste

 fresh dill, to sprinkle