"Drawing Womanhood"

Drawing mostly portraits of people, he said that art to him is a form of meditation and that he cannot draw if someone is observing him. Therein lies the paradox of an artist who feels uncomfortable drawing in front of his very source of inspiration - people.

" A majority of the portraits I draw are first born in my mind, "Silva states, alluding to his photographic memory. Since he has no training in the field of art, he believes that the secret of his success is his self confidence.

Reflecting his creativity and energy, his work can be interpreted as a retrospective of his artistic career. He is no ordinary artist. In fact one could call him a child prodigy who had lost his way. Indulging in art at an early age, he showed signs of talent at his school St, Peters Collage. But he gave it up to follow a lucrative career in advertising. Following a bad period in his life he picked up his paintbrush and rediscovered a talent, which had remained dormant for 22 years. A self-made artist, he re-discovered his inherent artistic talent and never looked back.

Using oil, pastel and acrylic along with the dry brush technique, as his medium the exhibition is a portrayal of Silva's keen eye in sensing the beauty of the faces that surrounds him. Silva's taken lies in recreating their faces on a blank canvas - sometimes with starting accuracy or by adding a personal touch. For his latest collection he has drawn inspiration from a riot of understated colour reflected in the archetypical faces of Sri Lanka. He has also drawn inspiration from the erotic, drawing women in a series of poses, depicting a wide range of emotions, from innocence to unbridled lust.

What is unique about Silva is his style and how it is reflected in his art. His consistency in style and technique are easily identifiable. It is clear that Silva draws with his mind's eye, the universality of his theme of everyday faces triggering an emotive response that lies within him.

"I feel that art elucidates the central belief that by its very intention can be therapeutic, cathartic, creating a space for individual mind shifts and collective dialogue. There is no such thing as a born artist, it comes down to self confidence," he said.

The Lover

As every glamorous woman knows, the secret to adding instant style to any outfit is by accessories with the sea outfit is by accessorising with the season's trendiest key pieces. 'The Lover,"with a spread of 64 branches across the island, of fers and array of versatile jewelery then can be worn with anything, to suit every occasion-from the happening party, to a casual day at the park and even to the more fabulous wedding.

Enough to satiate any shopping spree, "The Lover' is renowned for creating styles and trends. It was started four years age, with the first branch being opened in Kohuwela. "From humble beginnings, with the launching of our first store in anticipation of Valentines Day. We have expanded into a network of branches across the country as well as two outlets in the UK and Maldives. We are wild popular amongst teenagers in Sri Lanka as our products are youthful and stylish as well as being affordable.We believe in catering to the masses and that is where our strength lies," P J R Perera, Managing Director of The Lover said.

As soon as you step into any of the stores prepare to be dazzled by the jewel-studded rings, necklaces of beads in a myriad colors and ethnic bangles to complement eastern wear. Timeless style has never been easier with a classic selection of jewelery with pearls and other stones. There are also a variety of hair accessories that would brighten up any style that you could jazz up your hair with.

The majority of the jewellery is make in the factory, located in Colombo, with some items broght down from India, Korea, China and Hong Kong.

For the girl, who effortless y packs her life into her bag, why not match that bag with your lifestyle by choosing vibrant color and glamour? 'the Lover' has a wide range of bags that are designed and made in their factory, with beads sequins tassels.

"Although I have no experience in the field of designing. I design each and every item we produce. It is important that I have hands-on creative input into each peace of jewelley, as I want it to be reflective of what the Lover stands for in terms of creating trends and style," Perera said.

"Our range is vibrant colorful and glamorous, which showcases our talent and creative ingenuity. Thus out aim is to keep suspaning out brand name in Sri Lanka as well as expanding our range as well as promoting our products abroad." He added The Lover is the place to go if one is searching for that one peace that would complete your outfit.

So here is to a store which houses fashion accessories to add a touch of fashion to every part of your life.

www.theloverinternational.com.