History
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Solly is largely self taught, with the exception of a commercial art course through the London College of Art. Completed in 1980.
Â
He has worked exclusively in the scratchboard/scrapeboard art medium, since 1968. He has been operating as a full time professional for +- 5 years, and is currently occupied with extending this website, to include many modern features.
Â
He is a Fellow of the South African Society of Artists (SASA), the largest and the most active society of its kind in Southern Africa. Solly was also Chairman of the Botanical Artists Association of Southern Africa (Western Cape Branch) until he stepped down in 2023.
Â
He is a member of the USA based International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) and will be applying for his Master’s level during 2025.
During 2010, Solly exhibited at the International Botanical Art Exhibition, in Lucca Italy, where he obtained a Silver Gilt Medal, and a 2nd prize at the Gauteng International Orchid Show, Pretoria. His image of the artist William Kentridge was selected in the first 40 out of 1792 when entered in the first prestigious Sanlam national portrait competition in 2013.
At the judging for the annual SASA competition he was awarded the Best Drawing Cup during 2008, 2010, 2011, 2023 and 2024. The Society does not categorize scratchboard work separately.
He has held several solo and joint exhibitions in the Cape and surrounds. Presently, he is undertaking several portrait commissions and preparing for 2025 exhibitions.
Original work has been sold in the USA, Europe and Asia, on canvas block prints and in colour. It is available at selected tourist sites, and at selected galleries in Cape Town, and during exhibitions.
The Technique
The Scratchboard technique is a two-dimensional, subtractive process. It involves the use of abrasive tools to directly remove a surface layer of one value (typically dark) to expose a second layer of a contrasting value (typically white). The values within the artwork are predominantly achieved by varying the amount of surface layer that has been scratched away or left. The texture and form of all key compositional elements within the artwork must be created by subtractive removal, not exclusively by the addition of paint or ink. Reapplying transparent mediums over the scratching is permissible, but the underlying scratches must remain visible. Works may be colour or black and white.
