Church Square, located in the corner of Spin and Parliament Streets, was one of the first areas of Cape Town to be developed. The square once functioned as a slave market connected to the Slave Lodge, built in 1679. In 1701 the Dutch Reformed Church, the Groote Kerk, which today is known as the Old Supreme Court, was erected on its southern side and later, the eastern boundary was defined by a spinning factory.

The square was a convenient place for slaves to wait for their masters while they attended church. They waited under the shade of a tree at the entrance to the square, close to where the carriages were kept. The original tree which became known as the Slave Tree was cut down but has now been replaced by a similar one.

Between 1730 and 1753 Church Square became a meeting place for local dogs. They became such a menace for church goers that the city employed a dog-catcher to stop them harassing those attending church. Historians believe the dog menace was directly related to the smallpox epidemics of 1713 and 1750 when, at the church graveyard, bodies piled up at a rather alarming rate.
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The square was declared a National Monument on 17 February 1961.

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​Visit my online gallery for more images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town, botanical works and images of African animals and birds 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 on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com

Proteas usually flower during spring time and are used for ornamental practices as cut flowers and for decoration. Protea cynaroides, the king protea, is South Africa’s national flower. It symbolizes change and transformation across cultures.
Proteas first attracted the attention of botanists visiting the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century and many species
​were introduced to Europe in the 18th century, enjoying a unique popularity at the time amongst botanists.

 In local tradition, the Protea flower represents change and hope. 90% of the species occurs in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mountainous coastal land from Clanwilliam to Grahamstown. The extraordinary richness and diversity of species characteristic of the Cape Flora are thought to be caused in part by the diverse landscape where populations can become isolated from each other and in time develop into separate species.

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Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, African animals and birds,
iconic buildings and  interesting locations in and around Cape Town, available in 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 on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com

The Old Town House was built in Cape Town in 1755 under Governor Rijk Tulbagh as Cape Town’s first public building.  Located in the heart of the city on Greenmarket Square, the early Rococo-style building has served as a police station, magistrate’s court, a Burgher Watch House, the Burgher Senate and until 1905, Cape Town’s City Hall. In 1914 the Old Town House became the city's first art museum. The building has been used for corporate meetings and receptions and the beautiful courtyard for film shoots, wedding photographs and outdoor receptions.

Visit my online gallery for more images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town, botanical works and images of African animals and birds 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 on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com

'Caught Napping' is a portrait I completed a few years ago. It captures a little slice of ordinary life: a man relaxing at the harbour side after a long morning's work. So peaceful in that moment, resting his eyes in the noon day sunshine.

Visit my online gallery for more images of local life, African animals and birds, botanical works and images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.

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

Beautiful, isn't he? Unusually for me, this isn't an African animal. 

The white tiger or bleached tiger is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, native to parts of the Indian Subcontinent. This mutation is so rare that it is estimated that only one in every 10,000 tigers born in the wild is white. Therefore, white tigers are only found in captivity.

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

The name Hout Bay dates back to 1653, and relates to the quantity of excellent timber, from the Yellow Wood trees, which early Dutch settlers found to be growing in its ravines. The town is known for its harbour, which welcomes sailors and fishermen from all around the world. The first inhabitants, the San and the Khoi people, used to catch hake and crayfish in the bay and from the time of the Dutch settlers, the fishing trade developed with many countries, from Asia to America. Today, together with tourism, fishing continues to be an important source of income for the residents of the bay. 

Visit my online gallery for more images of local life, African animals and birds, botanical works and images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.

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

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), a world-wide iconic figure, and one of my best loved images. It was the 102nd anniversary of his birth on 18th July. South Africans have celebrated and commemorated his life as Mandela Day since 2009, remembering  his achievements in working towards conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace, and reconciliation.

My scratchboard work was completed in 2002 and was based on a picture published in a local Afrikaans newspaper, which gave me permission to use their photograph as a reference. The original work has been on exhibition at a number of galleries in and around Cape Town, and of course, various prints have been made for retail and even for a prize draw!

The full range of prints is still available through this website and for overseas customers prints and other lifestyle items featuring the image are available from Fine Art America.

For further information: contact me by phone on +27 79 247 7532 or by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com

​Rock kestrels are most often seen in rocky mountainous habitats in Southern Africa. Hence their name. Prey is caught on the ground and they feed mainly on small mammals, birds, insects and reptiles. They may also be seen perching on electricity poles along the roadside, looking for any unsuspecting prey; If there is no tall object to perch on, they will hover in the air to inspect the ground below. If they happen to see a tasty morsel they will parachute down holding both of their wings back behind their back to enable them to drop at a greater speed, like a skydiver with his hands behind his back.

Pop over and browse my online gallery for more  images of African animals and birds, botanical studies and
detailed images of iconic buildings and places in and around Cape Town in both monochrome and colour.