Gallery Showing

I've just had my first Toronto gallery group showing this year! Be sure to check out Bïzune Event Gallery for all the details and upcoming shows. As usual, I've spent all my time prepping for it and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I always have to remind myself to keep posting on a regular basis...otherwise there's really no point in having this blog!

A big thank you to all the wonderful friends and family who came out to show support and all the ones that were there in spirit.

I don't have many pics from the show itself (opening reception was last Thursday night) but I'm posting the ones that are clear enough to see the set up of my work. For the first time, I'm also including some (cellphone) photos of my work in progress, just so you can see some of the thought that goes into the whole mad creation process.
Again, the pics aren't great but you get the idea!

xoxo With Love.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today would have been my Dad's birthday. I hope he's happy and at peace.....


I'm not sure what the agenda is for today. I have so much to do but this lazy, hazy, rainy weather is really crampin' my style.
Anyhow, just a short post for now. Have to get motivated and out of this towel!


Hope the rest of you are having a productive day!



xoxo With Love.

Back to Blogging...

I'm returning to the blogosphere finally. I haven't really gone anywhere at all but I couldn't bring myself to write this whole time. It's been about 7 or 8 months since I've been here and so much has happened since then.

Sadly though, the biggest change in my life was losing my Dad some months ago. I won't dwell on that for now, just to say that he was a great man and we all love and miss him dearly. Thankfully there were lots of family and friends around to offer constant love and support. It has been a struggle, but I am trying to be creative everyday and use my emotions as a positive channel into my work.

I do have lots of art to share in the future as well as news of upcoming gallery shows and many changes to the blog/site! Hopefully will be posting pics very soon...


xoxo With Love.

A Few More...

So here are just a few more examples of the cards I will be selling at the upcoming show. Some are for Valentines, others can be bridal/wedding showers and others are just girly/diva cards that can be sent out as thank you notes or for any other reason!

Can't post too long today, have to get back to painting...




xoxo With Love.

Back In Business!

It's been ages since I've posted..I know, I know. Since Mother's Day to be exact. I feel awful about it. I did not in fact, take the summer off. I was working a lot though; mostly at odd contract jobs but the hours were crazy and for the most part I just felt tired and unmotivated! Anyhow, I'm back to Blogging and for sure this time will keep my posts on the regular and have new art up here all the time.

I am in a frenzy right now trying to get ready for an upcoming show. However with printing issues, problems with the mail, and a broken easel, my production has come to almost a halt! This time I was planning on having canvasses, prints and blank note cards for sale/display at the show. But it was a bit ambitious so we'll see where I'm at by Friday. I haven't even rented all the equipment that I need ....

These are some of the cards that I will be selling...what do you think?



xoxo With Love.

Happy Mother's Day!

This is just a really quick post wishing all the wonderful Moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day!

Of course an extra big hug and kiss goes out to my own very special Mom. She has always stood by me and supported me through all the drama and I can never thank her enough for all the love she has given me over the years.

I wish we could have spent the day together, but hopefully I can come visit you soon!

xoxo With Love.

Wills and Kate - A Royal Wedding Indeed!

So like most of you I'm sure...I spent the entire day glued to the TV set watching the Royal Wedding and then re-run after re-run to catch the kisses and tender moments over and over. It was definitely London calling...too bad I couldn't answer! I must be starved for some fairy-tale romance...or something!

Regardless, I swore to myself that I wasn't going to hop on the band wagon with the billions of other people and watch the event but that was inevitable. After the first few minutes in the wee early hours of the morning, I was hooked and my only saving grace was that I managed to work on this fun illustration during the boring bits of the show when they panned the crowd!

Enjoy the weekend and too bad its not a bank holiday in North America. Don't you think at least the holiday should be granted to all the Commonwealth??

xoxo With Love.

Ladies with Fancy Handbags!

I've been really busy these past few weeks and in the midst of all the commissions and requests, I had huge computer and cell phone issues that had to be dealt with. Something always seems to be wrong with my computer...I'm never sure when it will start to act up and I will lose all my data.

This is just a fun little illustration that I did for my personal files. I was trying to focus on strong business women with a fun sense of fashion...hopefully that comes through in the art work! I want my illustrations to tell stories but I don't think they are quite there as yet.





It's the long weekend here and although I have to work and the weather is really crappy, it still looks like it's going to be a great Easter.

xoxo With Love.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl-Ring My Bell!

Why did I even mention it in my last post that spring was just around the corner?? As luck would have it, we totally got dumped on overnight with the snow still continually falling! There seems to be no end in sight and its sooo cold. That will be the last time I comment on the weather....

I was cleaning up my hard drive and came across this illustration that I did last year.

Original Photograph by Iddo Goldberg 

I have been following Ashley Madekwe's blog for a while now. She's an actress that I first saw on Secret Diary of a Call Girl a few years back and have loved her style ever since. You can read more about her style tips and other adventures on her blog: Ring My Bell. I am just lovin' those clogs!

That's all for now but will have lots more illustrations in the next little while.

xoxo With Love.

Happy Saturday!

It's so great that spring is just around the corner. I love how the days are already much longer and warmer and there's no more snow in sight!



I'm just going to make this brief and share some stuff that I had worked on a while back. The first is a business card/logo that I was commissioned to do for a business out in Cali. The last two are just some ideas that I was playing around with for my avatars. I just love those little booties. They were my best purchase all year!

xoxo With Love.

Back to Work!

So I'm finally back to blogging and updating my work online. I won't really get into all the crazy goings on of the past few months. I will however say that the hiatus was definitely good for me, especially in terms of my creativity being rekindled and being inspired to illustrate again!

I have been in the process of updating my website but managed to completely mess it up. As of right now, charmainedsilva.com is unavailable! Oh brother! Its going to take a week or so to figure out the code and either fix the little problems or completely create a new site and start from scratch. The latter may actually be the best solution for me. This way I can understand how everything works and don't have to consult a web design team every time I need to make the smallest changes! I also want to add a sort of comic strip feel to the site. I'm thinking of doing an ongoing series...but that's all still in the works.

In the meantime, I am still pluggin' away. I recently completed this piece for a business out in California. Please check out Meg's great photography at Vie : Exposé .








xoxo With Love.

Bits n' Bobs!

The photograph that I've uploaded here is an example of my shoddy picture taking skills! I guess all that caffeine that I consume daily adds up to a real unsteady hand and blurred vision. Anyhow, it was meant to be of an acrylic painting that I did for Dana Martin's (of Dana Martin Writing from previous post) graduating daughter. I tried to include all her faves on an 11 by 14.5 inch illustration board. I didn't get to scan it in on time so I had to sew a series of really unclear photos together using Photoshop. If anyone has any better methods for getting good archival pictures of large art...by all means, I'm all ears.




The other illustration is for a business card that I whipped up for an ole' friend of mine who is now starting up her own photography business. She's the sweetest so please be sure and visit Kimberley Lynn PhotoGRAPHY for giveaways and other fun stuff!



xoxo With Love.

For Dana..

So kids, I've been missing in action for a while now but I must say that I have been a bit busy and uh enjoying the wonderful Toronto heat waves. Plus its been a month of excellent TV (FRINGE and LOST finales...don't worry no spoilers here) to catch up on and along with painting and of course the eternal job hunt...that's been all my days done up to now!

I did a little something for a writer friend of mine over in Cali that I think she will use for her business. I was quite happy with the outcome and hope to do much more work for Dana in the future. We already have another fun project in the works...details to follow soon!
You can catch up with her and all her writings at Dana Martin Writing.


Enjoy!

xoxo With Love.

Happy Mom's Day!

Just a quick note wishing all the amazing moms out there...and one in particular! We aren't going to be together today but she is always in my heart...speak to you soon MOM!

xoxo with love.

Invitations Ready!

This is going to be a really short post since I have a tonne of work to do and only just logged on now. I can finally post these wedding shower invitations that I created for a friend's party. I've been so busy just running around looking for a new job and apartment while trying to keep up with art projects and other commitments that I've been neglecting my online friends!

I had one of my good friends in town last week so that was really nice getting a chance to catch up with her. On a similar note, I've also reconnected with some really old friends from University. It's so strange to chat to them now...I haven't spoken or seen these girls since like '96 so it will be nice to actually see them in person too. We are meeting this Saturday at a BBQ so that should be loads of fun.

I'm thinking I want to do more of these cards. Not just for showers..but for all occasions. Birthdays, Thank you notes, Get well cards..maybe holiday cards...what do you guys think out there? They're pretty small, 4 x 6 and were relatively inexpensive to print.


Gotta run for now..
xoxo with love.

Happy Bloggerversary to me!!

Hey Everyone! I know it's been a while but I have been a bit busy and also a little under the weather. Aside from that..I've spent some time basking in the (albeit temporary) Toronto sunshine and then the rest of these past days holed up in my house just catching up on TV and flaking out on the sofa! I'm still wearing my Xmas PJ's to boot! I have turned into somewhat of a couch potato, I must admit. It's been the recurring theme in my art as well! Ah well, for today I will blame that on the rainy, stormy weather! I have managed to get some work done though.

Monday was the one-year anniversary for my blog and website. I didn't do much in the way of celebrations but I did eat a lot of cupcakes to compensate for not having a party!! Anyhow, I haven't been the best at keeping either site updated but promise to regularly to do so. Also I have set up a Facebook Fan Page so if you are on Facebook please join and show your support. I hope to have giveaways and frequent updates of events and shows that I will be attending.
I hope everyone had a fabulous EASTER long weekend!


xoxo with love.

Day Dreams..

Today has been one of those extremely lazy Mondays. Pajamas all day and wishing I could remain in bed for a few minutes longer. The weekend passed me by ever so quickly in quite a similar fashion. Where does all my time go, I have to constantly ask myself! I'm starting to really love playing around in Photoshop; the possibilities seem endless.


What am I day dreaming about? Lots of magical new stuff that you will see on here very soon. Tell me what you are all dreaming about....





xoxo with love.

Strange..

It's been a strange and kinda sad week for me. Have a lot going on personally and professionally and not sure who I'm more angry at: myself or the cosmos. Have you ever heard the saying..God either doesn't know we exist or despises us?? Not sure. Ultimately, I only have myself to blame for where I am at this point in time in my life...but it always feels better to point the fingers at someone else . Sigh. Anyhow, had to apply for a retail job the other day in order to supplement my rapidly declining finances. It's at a bridal boutique and so I created this image as my self-promo piece...HOPE IT WORKS! I think I will continue to gear my art toward specific projects from now on...


PS...this was supposed to be me in a wedding dress...either a very scary omen or a warning!! Definitely never going to happen again!!HaHa!

xoxo with love.

ODE To LOST

Has anyone been following the TV show LOST for the past few years? It's soooo addictive and I'm embarrassed to admit that when it comes to an end in a few months, I will really miss it. All the conspiracy theories and the utter confusion that formulates at the end of each weekly episode have become something that most fans look forward to! Anyhow, for those of you that do watch, here's my take on some of the lovely flora and fauna on the island..ha ha. Well anyway, back to work for now!


xoxo with Love.

Happy Happy March!!

Every week, I think to myself that this will be the week that I make the most productive and yet by the time Thursday rolls around, I haven't even begun to complete (or start) all that I intended to on Sunday! I really cannot believe that March is already here and I'm still in the process of looking for another apartment and another job in the city and have had no luck. Basically, I planned to be moved by May 1st...and hopefully this is still in the cards for me.

I've taken down another installation of mine yesterday at a cafe downtown. The show went well enough; made a lotta contacts as usual but will have to wait and see if any actual business stems from it. Now I have another to prepare for as well as a friend's bridal shower invitations and another friend's website illustration! At some point I would finally like to update/alter my own site.

How great were the Olympics by the way?? Hooray for Team Canada... I couldn't be prouder! But thank goodness it's all over...I cant afford to waste another day in front of the tube.

More to follow. I hope you are all enjoying the lovely spring like weather (at least here in Toronto) that we are having. Biking and lounging in the sun!

PS. I changed her up a bit so I thought I would share!

xoxo with Love.