MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST

By Arnaldo Bernabe Mirasol

I was born and raised in Tondo, Manila. I first took up Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas, but quit after my second year. I shifted to architecture, then tried engineering, and finally, in my mid-twenties, I resumed, though failed again to finish, my art studies at the University of the East. I began working as a professional artist in 1981, when I got employed as political cartoonist for the newspaper, People`s Journal Tonight. After my short initial stint as political cartoonist there, I decided to paint full-time after being inspired by a book on Dali. It was the declining years of the Marcos regime and many paintings being done and exhibited at that time were political in content. I rode the trend and painted social realist canvases, but with a surrealist twist. In 1984, my painting Hungry Child Dissected (below left) won the top prize in the First Metrobank Annual Painting Competition.  It was a most prestigious competition then as it is at present.

Hungry Child Dissected

When I got married in 1985, I worked briefly as an art gallery assistant at the Galeria delas Islas. Then in 1987, I returned to political cartooning with the We Forum Publications of Joe Burgos. It was there that my skill in pen and ink drawing was honed. I also learned a lot about political cartooning from Mr. Burgos. He told me that the most witty cartoon is the one that is most visual, meaning, the lesser the text and captions, the better. So, that axiom became my guide in cartooning. I always strive to impart the message sans text and captions. I didn`t always succeed of course, but I`ve created through sheer persistence, several pieces that spoke eloquently of my message without saying it, so to speak. (sample below right)

The Commander-in-Chief

The time came when the paper ceased being a daily. Thus, I took on another job as educational book illustrator to make full use of my time. I started with Phoenix Publishing House, then Rex, Abiva and Bookmark. That was way back in 1988. The highlight of my career in textbook illustration was the series of full-color cover art I did for Phoenix Publishing. It was while doing them that I developed the style that would make a good impression on publishers. When I approached Rex printing and Tahanan Books, two of several houses here currently engaged in picture book publishing, their publishers reacted favorably after leafing through my portfolio. The moment suitable manuscripts came along, I was offered the job of illustrating them. So far, seven picture books which I illustrated were published: First Around the Globe; Tamales Day; The Origin of the Frog; The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel; Once Upon a Time; Long Ago and Far Away; and The Mermaid's Castle. My eight picture book, Mga Modernong Alamat Volume 4 will be out in the market anytime soon. (below: sample illustration for Alamat ng Palay)

Miss Butterfly

My first exhibit of fairy tale illustrations took place on September 8, 2001, at the Crucible Gallery. Featured in the exhibit were the original illustrations for the book, Once Upon a Time (right). The exhibit opening was very, very soft: no guests-of-honor, no ribbon-cutting, no cocktails. But there were sales. Of the eleven illustrations on show, nine were sold. No mean feat in these persistently lean times. Although I was disappointed that my show was completely ignored by art writers here, the flattering comments of the ordinary gallery-goers lifted my spirit. Among the flurry of praises heaped my way, none flattered me more than someone`s remark that I was perhaps the Philippines` "own Maxfield Parrish".

My second solo show at the Crucible - which opened on March 13, 2007 - featured not only the illustrations for the book, Long Ago and Far Away (left), but also a suite of paintings belonging to my machismo series. (selected samples below) I guess I can adjudge this show more successful than the first, because aside from selling several artworks, the show was also noticed by the art critic Constantino Tejero. His feature on me (see bottom) appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) on June 25 - a day I expected would be rather dismal, because it was my birthday and I was again impecunious. You can just imagine my surprise and elation upon seeing in the PDI's art news page his review of my show. I was so excited that I immediately rushed out of the house to buy several copies more of the paper.

Happy Man  / Corrupt Bureaucrat Dissected 2

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Supremacy of Eve

Seraglio Fantasy 

Before starting work on Once Upon a Time, I considered my illustrations for the books, The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel and The Origin of the Frog (left) as the apex of my achievement as illustrator. I have reason to because both of these books won recognition abroad; The Origin of the Frog was a runner-up in the 2000 Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustration in Tokyo, while the excellence of my illustrations for the Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel landed me in the 2002 Honour List of the International Board on Books for Young People, based in Basel, Switzerland. But after seeing the illustrations of Gennady Spirin, Wayne Anderson and James Christensen in the books lent to me by my publisher Reni Roxas, my attitude changed. The truth that the quality of my works are still way below the world`s standard became evident to me. And my ego got deflated.













I still live in Tondo with my wife, Carina, and two sons. My sons, Bahgee and Kai both finished business courses and are now gainfully employed. Although they showed flair for art-making when they were kids, I didn`t encouraged them much. Having known firsthand the struggle and deprivation that an artist has to go through in life, I dissuaded them from taking up fine arts. But of course, if they really insisted on pursuing an art career, well, fine, I`ll give them my blessing. Happily, to my relief, they didn`t. They seem more intent on getting rich. An attitude I approve of very much, because perhaps, this father now have reason to expect a comfortable old age courtesy of the two.