Angela Solis: Der Pinsel

In the print supplement of her blog, Toronto-based photographer Angela Solis documents how she was able to find familiarity in a foreign land.

It was her first time to visit Havana a few years ago, yet for Toronto-based photographer Angela Solis, roaming its streets lined up with old buildings sparked a feeling of familiarity. With it came the idea to make it the focus of her blog’s print supplement. Soon, the issue one of Der Pinsel finally went on print.

With Familiarity as its theme, Der Pinsel on print lets us tag along in Angela’s journey around the Cuban capital and marvel in its old world beauty. Every page is a beautiful peek into the city’s architecture-centric heritage. Amidst the city’s outstanding albeit crumbling buildings, she immersed in the similarities of Havana’s infrastructure with how she remembered her birth country, the Philippines.

“There’s the feeling of likeness. The similarities are there, and those ideas were further amplified when we explored the city and met a few locals. I thought it was a better idea and a different approach to the city itself, so I decided to take that route instead.”

But, going a little further back, I wanted to know what made Angela put together a collection of these travel snaps into a zine, and a print “extension” of her blog (What if no one’s watching) at that.

“I decided to create Der Pinsel zine as part of my ongoing personal commitment to do something creative — it is pretty much an extension of my hobby (photography). Previously, I had an exhibit which allowed me to print my work and share my photographs on a grassroots level. This time around, time and logistics are issues, but I still wanted to print and share my work. I thought that the zine was the perfect medium given the circumstances.”

For its first issue, Der Pinsel in print is a showcase of 28 pages of photographs in full color, with a couple of well-chosen photos for the spread. The message of familiarity may have particularly resonated to me as a fellow Filipino, and I could very well see what it was that Angela found familiar about the beautiful scenes she captured in Havana. Had she mentioned this detail anywhere in the zine, I think its viewers would have a better understanding and appreciation for the visual narrative overall.

But maybe that’s something for Angela to consider once she’s ready for the second issue of Der Pinsel in print. And I eagerly look forward to it.

See more of Angela Solis’ work on her website, Facebook Page, and LomoHome, and watch out for Der Pinsel issues on Big Cartel.