He also wrote books on art and gave drawing lessons to Russian Tsar Peter the Great.
The Hermitage, for instance, has a 1730s work by Silo showing fleet maneuvers in the Zuiderzee during Peter the Great's visit to Amsterdam.
In 1697, he gave instruction in the drawing of ships to Peter the Great, who was visiting Amsterdam at the time.
The multitalented Silo produced not only paintings but also prints and drawings, which also exclusively depicted maritime scenes.
He lived to over 80 years of age, and was buried on 8 October 1760 at the Leidse Kerkhof cemetery in Amsterdam.