DKNY EXPRESS

By Arnel Mirasol

DKNY Express, 2012, oil on canvas, 24 X 18 inches

This painting is closely connected with two of my UST High School classmates - Arn Cruz and Ray Espinosa. The DKNY of the title doesn't mean Donna Karan New York. It is the tongue-in-cheek abbreviation, or initialism, for Divisoria Kanto ng Ylaya (Divisoria corner Ylaya) which are places in Manila beloved by bargain-hunters. I first heard of Divisoria Kanto ng Ylaya from Arn Cruz when he was driving me and another classmate home to Tondo. When I said that our house is just walking-distance from Ilaya Street, he said something to this effect, "Ah, so you live in DKNY".

My first impulse when doing this painting was to put the words "Viva Santo Nino" on the headboard of the jeepney, and title this piece Fiesta Serenade. But then Arn's DKNY joke came to mind. I adjudged then and there that DKNY Express is the better title because of its humor and wit.. Thanks Arn for giving me the idea for the title.

Ray Espinosa. on the other hand, bought this painting. There was a time during the latter months of 2013 when I really need cash fast. And to sell fast, I offered this painting at a very low price to Ray. I even included as sweeteners two of my small abstracts on paper (sample below left) to the package. What Ray said after reading my message surprised me - very pleasantly. He said that I shouldn't sell my paintings cheap, and offered 30 thousand pesos for the whole lot. Now, DKNY Express is a relatively small work, and the two abstracts are definitely small and very easy to do. (I completed them in a matter of minutes.) I've sold a painting (see bottom) slightly bigger than DKNY Express for 60 thousand pesos, but this was during a solo show, where prices are naturally higher because of the markup set by the gallery and other considerations. It therefore pleases me no end that a long-time art collector who bought from me directly would pay a relatively high price for DKNY Express..

Red Nude, 2012, acrylic on paper, 12 X 18 inches

But Ray, it seems, belong to that rare breed of art collectors, true art collectors, who buys art not for speculation or investment, but  (to borrow Leonidas Benesa's words) "for their own personal delectation." He is not a bargain-hunter when it comes to art buying, Which just goes to show how high artists are on Ray's list of worthy individuals. Thank you very much, Ray.

Seraglio Fantasy, 2005, oil on canvas, 24 X 24 inches