Eulalio Bueno Silva, Jr. or Bueno Silva, born to a business-oriented family, was encouraged to study Accounting and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of the East in 1965. At twenty-four, Silva’s extraordinary gift beckoned and gave birth to his dream of becoming an artist, sans any formal training. Despite the prevailing belief about “starving artists”, he pursued his dream with passionate commitment. In the late sixties, Silva put up a Portrait Gallery in Makati, Philippines and the experience honed his skills. His first major recognition as an artist came when he was presented a Medal of Achievement citation by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

In 1979, Silva and his family migrated to San Francisco, California where he held his first solo exhibition in the U.S. Soon they moved to Sacramento as he gained recognition. A highlight of his budding career came in 1985 when his painting “Our Lady of the Beaterio” was made into a commemorative National Postage Stamp. In 1987, Silva mounted another one-man show when he moved to Virginia at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts where he won a Virginia State Top Honors award and a National Semi-Finalist Award for the Take Pride in America competion given at the White House.

Better opportunities in a big city motivated Silva to move next to Chicago in 1987. He continued to explore different avenues of painting until it marked a transition in his style using pure loud colors on composition-focused paintings. In the early 90’s, he exhibited with Asian artists and called themselves “Destin-Asian”. His meeting with Philip Turner, a businessman artist and gallery owner led to his involvement in a commission portrait business with the Margaret Emily Curtis Portrait Studios. Jun, one of the most distinguished and highly sought after portraitist in Chicago today, is a member of the prestigious Portrait Society of America.