Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Clark Silva and his Rock Icons

Painting portraits of rock and roll stars comes naturally to this Chula Vista metalhead.

Clark Silva’s acrylic-on-panel Rock Icons attract people’s attention with their simple color palettes and minimal designs. Each portrait captures an important figure in rock history, especially Silva’s favorite genre: heavy metal. The artist laughs knowingly at the assertion that he has a deep and abiding love for rock and roll, which comes off as something of an understatement in talking about this 25-year-old metalhead from Chula Vista.

"King Diamond"

Silva says, “I thought, ‘how can I show the music that I love in a visual way?’ It started with the icons, which itself came out of thinking, ‘how can I paint portraits of the artists that I like, but do it in an atypical way?’ I decided to reduce each musician to something iconic. But it all comes from an absolute love of rock and metal music, and from finding a way to express that in the best way I can.

“I want to take parts of rock and metal that are misunderstood or not well known, and put them at the forefront next to other artists that people might recognize instantly. That’s why I put King Diamond next to Elvis.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Despite the abstract nature of the portraits, Silva’s Rock Icons are recognizable. A set of round spectacles on a yellow background with red trim evokes John Lennon from the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s five colors, acyrlic on panel, but it works to encapsulate the image of the Beatle.

Silva’s portfolio contains drawings that are almost photoreal, but the artist prefers to work with abstraction and the simple colorways of his Rock Icons.

“The rendering and realistic drawing came out of forced, academic scenarios,” he says. “That’s where I had to start in order to break it down into the paintings I wanted to do. I’ve always been influenced by ancient art, where everything is simplified to its essence and nothing is over-rendered. With my love of music, I thought about how I seldom see music represented that way. It’s usually portraiture and things like that. In mixing this ancient minimalism--and also this kind of Sixties view of color and design – I try to make it more of something that people haven’t seen before in terms of music art.”

Lots of the music that Silva loves references ancient and medieval cultures and ideas. For the painter, bringing the iconic artistic style of, say, Byzantine painting to rock and roll makes sense. He’s trying to reflect heavy metal’s love for the medieval; giving back to the middle ages, as it were.

"Iron Madonna." Mixed media on panel. Heavy guitar picks compose the corona around the Madonna's head.

Silva’s future is still up in the air. After several extra years due to changes in his focus of study and scheduling difficulties, he’s in his final year of art school. Many of his fellow illustration students at Cal State Fullerton have their sights set on futures in professional animation, so they intern at animation studios and whatnot. Silva’s hell-bent on being more of a classical illustrator. He’s putting together a portfolio to send to all his favorite rock and metal magazines in the United States and Britain.

“When you go into illustration classes, all you see are people doing character designs and background illustrations. It’s a little discouraging. But you have to do what you want to do, and I’ve gotten a lot of support for that, and I am very grateful. I haven’t had to completely change what I want to do,” says Silva.

“I’ve done freelance work: album covers, t-shirt designs, and things like that. In terms of an artistic career, I’m still figuring it out,“ he adds.

For the time being, Clark Silva wants to try and finish the Rock Icons series. Portraits of Joan Jett, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Tina Turner are all in the pipeline. The plan is to have them ready for a gallery show in the spring and to bring his work to Bentcon, NAMM, and Wondercon.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Next Article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?

Clark Silva’s acrylic-on-panel Rock Icons attract people’s attention with their simple color palettes and minimal designs. Each portrait captures an important figure in rock history, especially Silva’s favorite genre: heavy metal. The artist laughs knowingly at the assertion that he has a deep and abiding love for rock and roll, which comes off as something of an understatement in talking about this 25-year-old metalhead from Chula Vista.

"King Diamond"

Silva says, “I thought, ‘how can I show the music that I love in a visual way?’ It started with the icons, which itself came out of thinking, ‘how can I paint portraits of the artists that I like, but do it in an atypical way?’ I decided to reduce each musician to something iconic. But it all comes from an absolute love of rock and metal music, and from finding a way to express that in the best way I can.

“I want to take parts of rock and metal that are misunderstood or not well known, and put them at the forefront next to other artists that people might recognize instantly. That’s why I put King Diamond next to Elvis.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Despite the abstract nature of the portraits, Silva’s Rock Icons are recognizable. A set of round spectacles on a yellow background with red trim evokes John Lennon from the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s five colors, acyrlic on panel, but it works to encapsulate the image of the Beatle.

Silva’s portfolio contains drawings that are almost photoreal, but the artist prefers to work with abstraction and the simple colorways of his Rock Icons.

“The rendering and realistic drawing came out of forced, academic scenarios,” he says. “That’s where I had to start in order to break it down into the paintings I wanted to do. I’ve always been influenced by ancient art, where everything is simplified to its essence and nothing is over-rendered. With my love of music, I thought about how I seldom see music represented that way. It’s usually portraiture and things like that. In mixing this ancient minimalism--and also this kind of Sixties view of color and design – I try to make it more of something that people haven’t seen before in terms of music art.”

Lots of the music that Silva loves references ancient and medieval cultures and ideas. For the painter, bringing the iconic artistic style of, say, Byzantine painting to rock and roll makes sense. He’s trying to reflect heavy metal’s love for the medieval; giving back to the middle ages, as it were.

"Iron Madonna." Mixed media on panel. Heavy guitar picks compose the corona around the Madonna's head.

Silva’s future is still up in the air. After several extra years due to changes in his focus of study and scheduling difficulties, he’s in his final year of art school. Many of his fellow illustration students at Cal State Fullerton have their sights set on futures in professional animation, so they intern at animation studios and whatnot. Silva’s hell-bent on being more of a classical illustrator. He’s putting together a portfolio to send to all his favorite rock and metal magazines in the United States and Britain.

“When you go into illustration classes, all you see are people doing character designs and background illustrations. It’s a little discouraging. But you have to do what you want to do, and I’ve gotten a lot of support for that, and I am very grateful. I haven’t had to completely change what I want to do,” says Silva.

“I’ve done freelance work: album covers, t-shirt designs, and things like that. In terms of an artistic career, I’m still figuring it out,“ he adds.

For the time being, Clark Silva wants to try and finish the Rock Icons series. Portraits of Joan Jett, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Tina Turner are all in the pipeline. The plan is to have them ready for a gallery show in the spring and to bring his work to Bentcon, NAMM, and Wondercon.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Next Article

Celebrate Holi, Borrego Springs Music Festival

Events March 23-March 27, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.