I've never heard of Scratch board prior to the first time I noticed Richard Sele's work, which was displayed in the Tampa Library (some time ago). It was phenomenal! Time passed and I almost forgot how exceptionally fine Richard's workmanship can be. He's like Leonardo DaVinci in his meticulous attention to detail as he superbly crafts a stunning portrait of an individual using only scratches on a black surface of a special board that has a white layer below the black one. His scratches can be shallow or deep, as required to create a line that can look grey (if it's very narrow) or white (if it's bold and wide). The sum of all these lines produces a portrait with remarkable fine detail of an aged face, complete with all the appropriate curvature and wrinkle marks you'd expect. I was previously impressed by his work, but when I saw Blackbeard's Ghost I was floored. Luckily it was for sale! And at an affordable price! So now I enjoy Richard's artwork every day of the week!

Amazing details, especially in the eyes. They appear to actually be looking at the viewer.