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

Pomegranates No. 3

9/19/2021

Third and final of my pomegranate images highlighting the jewel-like vibrancy of the deep red seeds which are brought out by the application of translucent inks.

Pomegranates have been known for their disease-fighting qualities since ancient times. The fruit, flowers, bark, roots and leaves of pomegranates contain chemicals which can be used to treat a number of diseases and conditions. Ancient cultures understood the health benefits of pomegranates and used them in remedies for digestive disorders, skin disorders, and intestinal parasites. Research today has revealed that pomegranates might contribute towards preventing serious conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond.

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

Pomegranates No. 2

9/12/2021

This is the second of the pomegranate images I've created this year, trying to capture the jewel-like vibrancy of the interior of the fruits making careful strokes with my scratching tools, then hand-colouring the finished image with translucent inks.

Botanically-speaking, pomegranates are berries. True berries are fleshy fruits that come from a single flower with one ovary and typically have several seeds. Pomegranate fruit fall into this group. The dry outer covering (husk) of pomegranate fruit is made up of two layers: a hard outer layer called a epicarp and an inner, soft layer called a mesocarp. The inner mesocarp forms distinct, non-symmetrical chambers containing seeds with a fleshy covering (aril).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond.

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

Pomegranates No. 1

9/5/2021

I created a new series of pomegranate images earlier this year, trying to capture the jewel-like vibrancy of the interior of the fruits making careful strokes with my scratching tools, then hand-colouring the finished image with translucent inks.

It turns out that there are some interesting facts about this particular fruit too, starting with the origin of its botanical name. The genus name given to pomegranates (Punica) came from the Roman name for Carthage, an ancient city in Northern Africa. The Romans mistakenly assumed pomegranates derived from Africa, but in fact, pomegranates have a native range from North East Turkey to Afghanistan. The pomegranate fruit was also given a classical Latin name, Malum granatum, meaning "grainy apple".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond.

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

Mimetes cucullatus - new in my colour botanicals collection

8/29/2021

Mimetes cucullatus is a member of the protea family and is native to South Africa. Found on sandy soils, on sandstone slopes and flats, most frequently on the cool, moist, south-facing slopes, it grows all across the Western Cape. It is the only mimetes that is a resprouter i.e. it survives fires by resprouting from a large, woody, underground rootstock.

The name Mimetes is derived from the Greek mimetes meaning imitator or mimic, but nobody is quite sure why it has the name. The common name is more obvious. Called Rooi stompie in Afrikaans, stompie means little stumps, probably derived from the fact that all that is left after a fire are little stumps. Rooi means red, referring to the colour of the new growth and the floral leaves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond.

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

Echeveria - another new botanical in colour

8/22/2021

Native from Texas to Central America, Echeverias, of which there are some 150 cultivated varieties, prefer desert conditions but nevertheless seem to do surprisingly well in our Western Cape gardens. Echeverias stem from thick-leaved rosettes. The leaves are fleshy and have a waxy cuticle on the exterior. The many varieties and colours of Echeveria plants provide wonderful tones and texture, which I have tried to capture in this vibrant colour image.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond.

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

A Portrait of Spike Lee

8/15/2021

I haven't added to my People, Portraits and Characters collection for some time, but here's a brand new one: Oscar award-winning, Spike Lee - Director, Writer, Actor, Producer, Author, and Professor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. Lee's work has continually explored race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues for which he has won numerous accolades.

I've also been busy with commission work, particularly portraiture. More about these, coming soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of people and characters, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond, botanical works, and images of animals and birds. Prints are available 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

A Fresh View of the Bo-Kaap

8/8/2021

Here's another of by recently completed works. A new and much more recent view of the Bo-Kaap district of Cape Town, characterised by its colourful buildings and rich history. One of the oldest buildings in the Bo-Kaap is here in Wale Street, pictured here with its unmistakeable wavy parapet, which currently houses the Bo-Kaap Museum.

The district is still vibrant and thriving. You can take a little tour to find out more by following this link: Getting to Know the Bo-Kaap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond, botanical works, and images of animals and birds. Prints are available 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

St. Joseph's lily - a new edition to my botanical collection

8/1/2021

Known variously as the St. Joseph, November and Easter Lily, Lilium Longiflorum’s trumpet-shaped petals are filled with an intoxicating scent. The white lily is a traditional symbol of purity and majesty, and it is easy to see why once you have gazed upon these elegant flowers. I'm particularly pleased to have managed to capture the detail and beauty of this beautiful plant's form, even if the perfume of the petals can only elude the artist. For that, I'm afraid, you will have to use your imagination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of botanical works, animals and birds, historical buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond. Prints are available 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

Owl - another new work!

7/25/2021

It has been such a delight to work on this beautiful owl image. Quite a challenge too, to get the texture of the feathers and the depth and detail of those wonderful yellow eyes. But I'm very pleased with the outcome. Imagine this as a large canvas print, gazing down at you from your wall!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Visit my online gallery for more images of animals and birds, botanical works, images of buildings and places in Cape Town and beyond; available 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

Mandela Day 2021

7/18/2021

“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.” Nelson Mandela, from his autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), a world-wide iconic figure, and one of my best loved images. Today is the 103nd anniversary of his birth on 18th July. South Africans have 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 various prints have been made for retail.

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/whatsapp on +27 79 247 7532 or by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com