Meet the Artist, Skye Silver | Studio Skye Silver

The Studio Skye Silver Story

A fine art brand that creates immersive environments rooted in nature; inviting escapism, reflection, and connection.

Artist Statement

I paint places that have shaped me: the stillness of the forest and sun-drenched coastlines, capturing the wonder and untamed beauty that surrounds us when we slow down and tune in.

My work spans two distinct and equally personal styles. My surreal tree paintings take a classic approach, using only brush and oil paint to create dreamlike realms shaped by light, organic form, and saturated color. The result is a high degree of control and intentionality behind every brushstroke.

The trees themselves carry backstories, quirks, and personalities; anthropomorphic beings that invite one-on-one conversations. I encourage viewers to lose themselves in the intricacies of each root and hollow trunk, allowing these breathing, sacred beings to transport them to a familiar, fantastical world where imagination, discovery, and inner child run wild.

In contrast, my abstract paintings are raw and expressive, capturing the rebellious soul and gritty charm of life by the beach through spontaneous mark-making, worn luminosity, and countless layers of opaque and translucent color. I paint with imperfection and a distressed look in mind--bold and delicate hues, sporadic scribbles, and rhythm in shapes, where grungy streetwear collides with retro and bohemian flair to honor the eclectic communities that orbit world-class surf breaks.

Both styles stem from a desire to reconnect: with nature, with play, with self. Whether it's the woods or the sea, my art takes viewers into a space of escape, reflection, and visceral presence.

Artist Bio

Skye Silver is a multi-media artist and project manager based in San Diego, California. She graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, Marketing, and Spanish, competing on the intercollegiate equestrian team and furthering her creative practice through oil painting classes.

Skye grew up in rural Southern Maryland, surrounded by heavily wooded rivers and creeks that feed into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. She moved to San Diego in 2017 and now lives a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean. This lifelong proximity to water informs her work's subject matter.

Her career began in marketing and creative services within the consumer brand space. An early COVID-19 lay-off in 2020 was the catalyst for conceiving Studio Skye Silver and elevating her art from hobby to something more purposeful.

Skye lives in the eclectic beach town of Ocean Beach and paints out of her private studio at Art on 30th in the North Park neighborhood. She is a recent graduate of Art on 30th's professional artist development program, also known as "Keys to the Art World," a rigorous mentorship focused on unlocking a career as an artist.

Her paintings have been exhibited throughout Southern California, including the Ashton Gallery in San Diego, CA, Huntington Beach Art Center in Huntington Beach, CA, Borrego Art Institute in Borrego Springs, CA, and OB Beans Coffee Roasters, San Diego, CA. Skye has also participated in outdoor art fairs and pop-ups organized by San Diego Made Factory, Creative Communal, and San Diego Vintage Collective.

When she's not painting, Skye can be found in the ocean. Her passion for surfing has taken her to remote Baja breaks and vibrant surf towns across Australia. Both art and surfing allow her to feel fully present, connected to nature, and viscerally alive.