Scratchboard / Scraperboard Art by Solly Gutman 'The Colour of Black and White' - BLOG

Afternoon Break, Kalk Bay Harbour

1/17/2021

After its existence as a whaling port was rightfully terminated, Kalk Bay Harbour became a thriving fishing port where fishermen bringing in their hauls from their colourful rustic boats daily. Kalk Bay’s eclectic mix of historic buildings, cobbled streets, bohemian bric-a-brac shops, vintage bookstores, art and antique galleries, ocean and mountain views, quaint cafés and restaurants, colourful fishing vessels and creative locals make it a must-do day out from nearby Cape Town.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone / whatsapp on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
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Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Just Nuisance - more than just a dog!

1/3/2021

The legendary tale of Cape Town’s most famous great dane
Just Nuisance was reportedly born in Rondebosch, Cape Town to his breeder Mr. H. Bosman. In 1937. The following year he was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Chaney who moved to Simon’s Town, where Mr. Chaney became the manager of a hostel for sailors ashore.

Just Nuisance soon became acquainted with the young Royal Navy sailors, who fell in love with the young pup. He continued to grow into a dog of enormous proportions, even for a Great Dane. He was almost 2m tall when standing on his hind legs, but he had a gentle nature.

He loved the sailors and followed them everywhere, even catching the train to Cape Town with them. Despite the sailors’ efforts to conceal him, owing to his large size and the fact he insisted on lying across three seats on the train, the railway authorities soon became annoyed by him and would kick him off the trains.

This, however, did not worry Just Nuisance as he would patiently wait for the next train, or walk to the next station where he would board another train. Amused travellers would at times pay for his train fare, but eventually officials of the railway company threatened to have him put down unless he was prevented from boarding the trains or had his fare paid in full.
In response, the sailors hastily consulted their Officer Commanding, who thought of a very unusual yet brilliant plan for the Great Dane.

Thus, in 1939 Just Nuisance “volunteered” to join the Royal Navy. The Officer Commanding knew that as an enlisted sailor during the WW2, he would be entitled to free rail travel at all times and thus, his fare-dodging days were over
Just Nuisance duly commenced his duties in the Royal Navy and was issued with his own sailor’s cap. A special collar was made for him in the Naval dockyard, to which his free pass was attached. Just Nuisance’s official documents say that he was a “Bone-crusher” by trade and was given the rank of Able Seaman.

He was quartered at HMS Afrikander and even had his own bunk. A sailor was also put in charge of him to ensure that he was fed, bathed and brushed regularly. Just Nuisance was seen as much more than just a dog. He did much to boost the morale of all those involved in fighting the WW2, from the Atlantic Station and was renowned for the love and care he showed for his sailor mates.

The legendary story of the extraordinary character that was more human than dog still lives on today. Able Seaman Just Nuisance’s bronze statue, erected in 1985 stands proud and tall in Jubilee Square overlooking Simon’s Town.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me in the comments box below or inbox me on Facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The Clock Tower, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town

12/27/2020

The Victorian Gothic-style Clock Tower is an icon of the old Cape Town harbour. Built in 1882, it was the original Port Captain's Office. The clock, imported from Edinburgh and surrounded by gothic-style windows is the main feature. On the ground floor is a tidal gauge mechanism, used to check the level of the tide for ships entering or leaving the docks and on the second floor there is a decorative mirror room which allowed the captain an overall view of harbour activities.

The tower was a focal point in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront's urban renewal programme, since when it has become South Africa’s most-visited destination.

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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me in the comments box below or inbox me on Facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Crowned Crane

12/20/2020

The grey crowned crane is about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs), and has a wingspan of 2 m (6.5 ft). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours, with a distinctive black patch at the very top. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. They have long legs for wading through the grasses. The feet are large, yet slender, adapted for balance rather than defence or grasping. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff face.
They are found in Eastern and Southern Africa.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me in the comments box below or inbox me on Facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The Ostriches of Oudtshoorn

12/13/2020

The quiet town of Oudtshoorn lies between the majestic mountains of the Klein Karoo. In winter, snow covers the nearby mountain peaks and in summer temperatures sizzle. Its dry, extreme climate has much to do with the town’s success, where once ostrich farmers bathed in brandy and papered their walls in pound notes, when Oudtshoorn became known as the ostrich capital of the world.

It began when ostrich feathers became a major European and British fashion accessory in the mid-1800s. Oudtshoorn farmers were quick to realise that the Karoo environment was ideal to raise ostriches and began ripping up their agricultural fields and domesticating wild birds. Breeding pairs of birds thrived and farmers pocketed up to R200 per kilogram for their feathers, an astonishing amount in 1884.

Although the demand for ostrich feathers has drastically decreased, their skins are now used to produce high-end fashion accessories. Ostrich meat has become a popular alternative to beef or lamb. As a result, Oudtshoorn continues as an active ostrich farming town, boasting the largest number of ostriches in the world.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me in the comments box below or inbox me on Facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The African Leopard

12/6/2020

Leopards are fast felines and can run at up to 58 km/hr. They’re agile too, and can leap 6m forward through the air, that’s the length of three adults lying head to toe. Leopards are skilled climbers and like to rest in the branches of trees during the day. Leopards communicate with each other through distinctive calls. For instance, when one male wants make another aware of his presence, he’ll make a hoarse, raspy cough. They also growl when angry and, like domestic cats, purr when happy and relaxed. Cute, eh?

Meet the rest of the African Big Five in the gallery
All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas. Click here for prices.

Place your order
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The Modjadji Cycad

11/29/2020

Encephalartos transvenosus is a palm-like cycad found in the mountains of Limpopo Province, South Africa, particularly on two hills near Duivelskloof. Its common name, Modjadji cycad, alludes to the female dynasty of the Lobedu people, the Rain Queens, whose hereditary name is Modjadji. The queen resides near a valley (of late a nature reserve) which is densely forested with these cycads, which they protected and hold sacred. It is a tall majestic tree and has been protected by generations of rain-queens. It forms pure forests on these hills, the only cycad forests in Southern Africa.

As a garden subject, Encephalartos transvenosus, with its glossy dark-green leaves, is one of the most spectacular and tallest of all cycad species. It is also one of the fastest growing, developing to a height of 6 to 8m or more with a leaf spread of up to 5m. The plants produce cones with the male and female cones being produced on separate plants. Male cones develop to a length of 300-400mm; the female cones are very large and heavy. The cones are golden brown in colour and are produced in late summer, weighing more than 40 kg.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me in the comments box below or inbox me on Facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Adderley Street, Cape Town

11/22/2020

Adderley Street is the main street of the central business district of Cape Town. The street was originally named Heerengracht, after the canal ("gracht") which ran down its centre, and which had its origins in the rivers from Table Mountain. At the time the street was more of a wide walkway beside the canal, which was crossed by various stone bridges.

The network of canals were covered over in the 1860s. The Heerengracht river and canal therefore became an underground pipe-line. For many years the street was residential, lined with large oak trees, but by 1850 it had become strongly commercial in character.

Mayor Hercules Jarvis named it Adderley Street in 1850, to honour British Parliamentarian Charles Bowyer Adderley (elevated to the peerage as Baron Norton in 1878) who fought successfully against the plan for the British government to make Cape Town into another penal colony.

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Visit my online gallery for more images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town, animal and bird images, and botanical works in both monochrome and colour.

All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on ready-to-hang stretched canvas.
Click here for prices.

Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
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The Meerkat

11/15/2020

Standing at only 30 cm tall, meerkats, also known as suricates, have captured the attention of television and film audiences around the world because of their endearing appearance and interesting social behaviour. They depend on group cooperation to survive. They live in groups of 20 to 50 extended family members in large underground tunnels. These family groups, called gangs or mobs, are led by an alpha pair, with the female being dominant.

Meerkats are active during the day. They can be spotted in the early hours of the morning huddling close to one another when it is still too cold to warm themselves in the early sunlight. Self-grooming can be evident during this period of gathering. However, meerkats have been found to spend less time in grooming during drought times as the morning rest tend to be short and the feeding gets underway immediately. After grooming, they begin to look for food.

Meerkats dig throughout the day looking for food while communicating by means of vocal calls to the rest of the group. This strategy helps keep the group a distance of a maximum of about 5 m apart from one another while foraging. A sentinel stands on guard on a rock or tree stump looking out for possible predators, communicating danger to the rest of the group. It has been found that they make two different types of alarm call depending on how urgent the situation is: either ‘run for cover’ or ‘danger may be in the area’. Which call is uttered normally depends on whether an aerial or a terrestrial predator has been spotted.

Meerkats are restricted to southern Africa, where they occur in the more arid parts of Namibia, Botswana, Angola and South Africa. In South Africa they occur in open areas, across much of the central and western part of the country.

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Visit my online gallery for more images of African animals and birds, botanical works,
iconic buildings and interesting locations in and around Cape Town.

All images are available in monochrome and colour,
as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on ready-to-hang stretched canvas.

Click here for prices.

Contact me:
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com

Adderley Street Flower Sellers

10/11/2020

The Adderley Street Flower Market is one of the oldest markets in Cape Town. For over 150 years these ladies have been selling their flowers in the Adderley Street Flower Market and businesses are handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter. And they're still here to this day!

Here you’ll find hundreds of flower bouquets in colourful pots, buckets and containers. These flowers are much cheaper than you’d find in any shop. The prices aren’t fixed and it’s a pleasure to bargain with these bright and witty ladies to come to a price you both agree on.

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Visit my online gallery for more images of early Cape Town and surrounds, animals and birds, and botanical works
in both monochrome and colour.

All images are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on ready-to-hang stretched canvas.
Click here for prices.

Contact me:
by phone / whatsapp on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com