MUMBAI, March 27 -- For 73 years, K K Venkateswaran has sat at his table every day, using implements to carve out beautiful and intricate works of art on a 'scratchboard', a technique used by commercial artists and illustrators. This weekend (March 27 to 29), he is set to hold his first solo show at the P L Deshpande Kala Academy, Prabhadevi at the age of 95-a tribute to his energy and undying passion for his art. The self-taught artist's studio has a variety of his works on display-a stunning portrait of Oscar award-winning actor Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, a close-up of a zebra, focusing on its striking black-and-white stripes, the majestic face of a tiger, the ruins of an old pagoda. He picked up the scratchboard technique in 1953 when he was working in the admin department of Air India and happened to show his work to an advertising agency that made ads for the aviation giant. "They told me that my drawings were excellent but they needed black-and-white line drawings. It was here that I first learned about the scratchboard technique," he said. "A scratchboard is a board coated with white clay, on top of which there is a layer of black ink. You scratch the black surface to create your art." Fascinated by this reverse process, he decided to try it himself. Venkateswaran managed to find the material in Mumbai at the time and began experimenting. His work impressed the ad agency, but he could not pursue a job in commercial art due to a lack of formal qualifications. "They told me they could only hire artists who had a fine arts degree," he said. "That was the end of the story as far as commercial art was concerned. However, I didn't lose interest." His journey with scratchboard art faced a major setback when the import of the special boards stopped in the mid-1950s. For the next three decades, he shifted to other forms like oil and watercolour painting and sculpture, revisiting scratchboard art only in 1985. "I thought why not make the board myself," he said. "I succeeded through experimentation and trial and error. I apply white acrylic paint on a thick board, and when it dries I add a black layer," he said. Over the years, he has been associated with art groups and exhibited in annual shows although opportunities have been limited. He shares his art online as well. "I regularly contribute on social media platforms," he said, adding that he was known among international scratchboard communities. Venkateswaran's interest in art began early. "I have been drawing since age 10," he said. His talent was recognised in school, and after his matriculation (Class 10) in 1946, he was invited to present a portrait to the Maharaja of Cochin, who awarded him a gold medal. Despite this, he pursued a science degree and moved to Mumbai in 1952 for work. "I wanted to study art, but I needed a job," he said. A former employer encouraged him to join a part-time course at the Sir J J School of Art but he had to leave when the company closed down. "But my interest in art continued," he said. And the passion abides even today....