My paintings are both allegorical and symbolic. They are inspired by dreams, life, music, stories, and current events in which women and women's issues are a central focus. I create psychologically layered surreal portraits and figurative scenes that examine the complexities of the human experience. Rooted in personal memory, archetype, and the cultural narratives that both distort and reveal our identities, my work holds space for both vulnerability and strength.

I reinterpret traditional portraiture. I don’t chase realism or perfection; I seek emotional truth. The women I feature have all manner of different truths to tell: some are family and friends, while others are drawn from history; some are famous for rejecting the oppressive norms of their time, while others are anonymous women photographed in institutions where they were restrained and silenced.

My paintings use symbols to express visually what my words cannot: birds can represent the imperative to sing one’s own song or the courage to struggle against powerful headwinds; a woman juggling knives can exemplify the pressing, often risky, need for women to multitask; vintage newspapers or sheet music collaged onto a work's background can give its subject the sense of being out of time or place.

Amber DeSilva

helloamber007@gmail.com | @amberdesilvaart | amberdesilvaart.com

Education

Studio tuition with Jennifer Perlmutter of the Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery

Studio tuition with Scott Waddell Art

Exhibitions

2026

Love, Artworks Downtown, San Rafael, CA

Left Coast Juried Exhibition, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA

Seeing Music, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA

The Art of Giving: Small Works Exhibit, Artworks Downtown, San Rafael, CA

2025

Amber DeSilva: Solo, Frank & Lola Salon, Oakland, CA

Figure As Story, Petaluma Arts Center, Petaluma, CA

Realms, Artworks Downtown, San Rafael, CA

Irrepressible Women, San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2024

Imagination Expressed 2024 Online Gallery, Honorable Mention Award, Museum On Main, Pleasanton,

CA

Amber DeSilva: Shapes & Figures, Frank & Lola Salon, Oakland, CA

Making Art in a Changing World, Belvedere Tiburon Library Gallery, Tiburon, CA

The Lafayette Art and Wine Festival 2024, Lafayette, CA

2023

The De Young Museum Open 2023, De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

Healing Spaces, John Muir Hospital, Walnut Hill, CA

The Lafayette Art and Wine Festival 2023, Lafayette, CAPublications

Mark Makers’ Quarterly: Time, Issue #7. February - April, 2026.

“Story & Lesson Highlights with Amber DeSilva of Orinda.

” Bold Journey Magazine, 16 Dec. 2025. Web.

“Meet Amber Desilva.

” CanvasRebel Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024. Web.

Memberships

Pleasanton Art League

Lamorinda Arts Alliance (Judge, 23rd Annual High School Visual Arts Competition 2026)