Painted on unstretched canvas, this work appears as a fragile memory retrieved from Solano’s mental image bank, to be preserved and sublimated by paint. The work shows the remarkable mastery of detail and rendering of texture that Solano has achieved since losing their eyesight in 2013. The work exemplifies Solano’s embodied approach to their artistic practice, which involves a detailed mapping of the visual field of each canvas, using tactile markers like pipe cleaners, pins, and string to delineate the areas that the artist will fill in with paint-covered fingers. 


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• Manuel Solano, who lost their sight in 2013, has since developed numerous techniques to continue painting. This involves a meticulous mapping of the visual field on each canvas, using tactile markers like pipe cleaners, pins, and string to outline the areas that the artist will fill in with paint-covered fingers.
• The artist also draws from their memory, using it as a mental image bank to compose their works. Before losing their sight, Solano had a photographic memory and worked notably in the field of hyperrealistic painting.
• Solano is particularly interested in the challenges presented by the representation of certain textures. This painting reflects Solano’s research on materials and the rendering of their visual appearance.
• Furthermore, Solano paints on unstretched canvas, which conveys a sense of the evanescence and mutability of memories. The frayed edges have become a sort of stylistic signature. Solano likes to think that this makes their paintings look stronger or rougher or somehow have a stronger presence or character in the eyes of the viewer.