Tiago Azevedo was born in the Azores, the Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic, and trained as an architect, with a six-year master’s degree and projects in Portugal and Germany behind him. Among them was the restoration of the rooftop of Munich’s Bayerischer Hof, the hotel commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1841.
Then painting took over. Working in classical oil technique, Azevedo paints religion, mythology and fairy tales with Baroque drama and a pop-surrealist look — and characters whose enormous eyes have become his signature. His work has been shown at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, at a Vatican-sponsored venue in Rome, and in New York, London, Cannes, Dubai and Lisbon, and in 2019 he held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores.
He has published two books pairing his paintings with retold stories, Scriptures and Fairytales, launched a Fairytale eyeshadow palette in 2026, and after twenty years on YouTube hosts Tiago’s Lair, a podcast about art, creativity, mental health and makeup. Nearly 100,000 people follow him on Instagram at @tiagoazevedoart.
With Locals Insider he shares the night that changed his life, where his paintings come from, what New York gives and takes from an artist, and the places he keeps going back to — in the city and on the islands where he grew up.
The Night I Started Painting
That was a very important moment in my life, because it was so sudden. I was just chilling, watching a YouTube video about painting, and all of a sudden I felt this urge grow inside me to start painting.
It was the middle of the night. No stores were open, but I could not sleep. I stayed up the whole night waiting for the stores to open so that I could go and get all the supplies. I started painting that same day, and I have been painting until now.
“I stayed up the whole night waiting for the stores to open so that I could go and get all the supplies.”
Where a Painting Begins
It is a very interesting process. I get an image in my brain that I feel is given to me. It is a very blurry image, but it is enough for me to know what it is. After that, I feel that my only job is to translate it onto the canvas and bring it into the physical world.
Why the Eyes Are So Big
Those exaggerated eyes represent emotion that has been hidden for a very long time. I try to convey as much emotion on the canvas as possible, because for me, if the character is not alive, then I have failed. By alive, I mean that it should impress emotion upon the spectator. The eyes give it an extra layer of that emotion: the bigger the eye, the stronger it is.
“If the character is not alive, then I have failed. The bigger the eye, the stronger the emotion.”
“I Finish a Piece and Think, This Is Not Mine”
That is a very interesting question, because even after all this time painting, and coming back to the idea that the images are given to me, I finish a piece and think: this is not mine. I did not do this.
Part of that is because I really feel that, spiritually, I had a lot of help conceiving that painting. So the consistency of my work is greatly due to that spirituality I feel is embedded in my paintings.
Inspiration as Meditation
To tell you the truth, I don’t search much for inspiration. It comes to me, so it is more of a meditative process. The more I dig into myself, the more ideas come out of me. I wish I could tell you that it was something special, like a flower or a person, but it is simply the process of deep meditation.
“I don’t search much for inspiration. It comes to me. The more I dig into myself, the more ideas come out.”
New York Felt Like Home the Moment I Landed
I have lived in all these places — the Azores, Germany, New York — and the truth is that the only place that felt like home was New York. I knew it the moment the plane landed on my first visit. It was a very special feeling. It was as if I could finally breathe, and I thought: I have finally arrived home.
The first time I went was for an exhibition in 2016, and I fell in love with the city. After that I knew I had to come back, and I knew I had to live there.
What New York Gives an Artist — and What It Takes
Now that I have been here for quite some time, I have a broader perspective of what New York really is. It is a city filled with opportunity if you keep your eyes open, and it can bring you a lot of surprises.
But I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that there is an underlying, hidden pressure to do more, be more and achieve more. After some time that pressure can get to you and drag you down. So the best thing is to acknowledge it and just do the best that you can. This is the only way to avoid burnout in a city that can give you everything, but at the same time can take everything from you.
“New York can give you everything, but at the same time it can take everything from you.”
Where to Find Me in New York
I don’t go out much, that is the truth, even though I’m in a city that has so much to offer. But when I go out, I do have my favorite spots: Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdale’s. These are high-end stores with amazing home decor departments, and as an architect I cannot help but be fascinated by them.
So I do a lot of window shopping. I take a lot of inspiration for home decor by going to the stores, taking photos, coming back home and crafting those things myself. I am a big crafter — crafting keeps my mental health in check — and those stores are where you are most likely to find me, without a shadow of a doubt.
I also like the Met, MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History.
My Azores: Mist, Caves and Natural Pools
There are a lot of places. I know many breathtaking landscapes that not a lot of people know, and a lot of hidden gems. My favorite is simply to hike on a cloudy, misty day and experience all the greenery the islands have to offer, and after that visit the uncharted caves and groves.
Of course, the visit wouldn’t be complete without the beautiful natural swimming pools. The best known are the ones the tourists go to, but there are many more, filled with the most beautiful anemones and sea creatures.
“Hike on a cloudy, misty day, then find the natural swimming pools the tourists don’t — filled with anemones and sea creatures.”
Tiago Azevedo’s New York Favorites
Bergdorf Goodman
The Fifth Avenue department store whose home decor floors Tiago visits for ideas he later crafts at home. Address: 754 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10019
Bloomingdale’s
The flagship on 59th Street, and the other home decor department he keeps coming back to. Address: 1000 Third Ave, New York, NY 10022
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Five thousand years of art on Fifth Avenue at Central Park. Address: 1000 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10028
MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown. Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
American Museum of Natural History
The museum on Central Park West. Address: 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
