ARTIST STATEMENT

“I appreciate my God-given talent and believe that art is a healing force. My inspiration is life itself by bringing joy, peace and healing through the power of my God given gift. My paintings are my way of touching ones spirit and soul of others. Art took control of my life and healed me from the scars of abuse. I have helped others in their healing process by sharing what I have learned.” Ernani initiated working with underprivileged youth in Rio de Janeiro as well as the United States offered the same opportunity to children and other individuals”.


Silva states, “My art is also therapy for me; it is a cathartic force in my life as well as others. My inspiration is life itself”. Additionally, “the material itself does not matter – the most important thing is the human feeling conveyed into the material. I work with various mediums and always concerned with creating new textural forms and compositions. By continually creating to infuse collages and multi-media I bring a new dimension. I work with canvas, wood, paper, glass, zinc, fire and other metals. In the process of creating collages a largely improvisational medium my thoughts are always with conservation, preservation, and recycling. Turning trash such as paper, empty bottles, broken glass, and discarded lumber into treasures is one of the solutions to the worlds’ problem of environmental pollution. It is my hope that my art embodies and incorporates “thrash” which will act as an inspiration for others. Additionally, I am also intensely concerned with the preservation of the disappearing flora, fauna, peoples and cultures of my native Brazil”.