ARNALDO MIRASOL was born and raised in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He took up Fine Arts, major in painting at the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the East. Mirasol began working as a professional artist in 1981, when he was hired as editorial cartoonist for the newspaper
People's Journal Tonight. In 1987, he applied and was hired for the same job in Joe Burgos' We Forum Publications. In between his cartooning stints, Mirasol worked as gallery assistant at the Galeria de las Islas, and was an educational book illustrator from 1988 to 2000.
In 1996, Mirasol showed his portfolio to Reni Roxas and Marc Singer, publishers of Tahanan Books for Young Readers. Being especially impressed by the cover art he did for Phoenix Publishing House, Reni and Marc commissioned Mirasol to do the illustrations for their collaborative book
First Around the Globe: The Story of Enrique. Mirasol went on to illustrate four more books for Tahanan:
Tamales Day, The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel, Once Upon a Time, and
Long Ago and Far Away. Mirasol's other books are
Origin of the Frog, Anina ng mga Alon (Anina of the Waves), and
Mga Modernong Alamat Volume 4. Two of his books are prize-winners abroad. The
Origin of the Frog won a runner-up award in the 12th Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustration in Tokyo, in 2000. While the excellence of his illustrations for
The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel landed him on the Honour List of the Basel-based International Board on Books for Young people (IBBY).
Mirasol has had three solo art exhibitions, so far - once at the Hiraya Gallery and twice at the Crucible. He had also participated in several group exhibitions. His paintings in the eighties, although belonging to the social-realist school, were tempered somewhat with surrealist color and humor. One of his paintings from that period, the
Hungry Child Dissected, won in 1984, one of the three Best Entry awards in the First Metrobank Annual painting Competition. 2008 was a landmark year for Mirasol. It was during that time that he finally weaned himself away from the sharp-focus realist style of his previous paintings. While his earlier works were rendered with a meticulous attention to details, his recent illustrations and paintings - with their simplification, distortion, and loud coloration - have a decidedly modern and pop art feel to them. Mirasol still lives in Tondo, with wife Carina, and sons Brando de Niro and Karel Andrei. He is popularly known as Arnel Mirasol in the Philippine art circle.
Paintings
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WARRIOR BIRD, 2002, acrylic on paper, 12.5 X 12.5 inches, Robinzon Fernandez collection
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DAWN DUEL, 2002, acrylic on paper, 12.5 X 12.5 inches, Reni Roxas collection
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CORRUPT BUREAUCRAT DISSECTED 2, 2002, acrylic on paper, 12.5 X 12.5 inches
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THE SWIMMING CLASS, 2002, acrylic on paper, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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SERAGLIO FANTASY, 2005, oil on canvas, 24 X 24 inches, private collection
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SUPREMACY OF EVE, 2006, acrylic on paper, 30 X 22 inches, Elvira Gonzaga collection
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SNORKELER'S BLUES, 2006, oil on canvas, 24 X 13 inches, private collection
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TREKKERS' BLISS (Taal Crater Lake), 2006, oil on canvas, 24 X 13 inches, private collection
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LORD OF THE REEF, 2007, acrylic on paper, 30 X 22 inches
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BOY CONTEMPLATING HIS COCKEREL, 2007, oil on canvas, 24 X 13 inches, Jerry Dean collection
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VENUS OF BORACAY (after Titian's Venus of Urbino), 2008, oil on canvas, 33X 24 inches, Lorna Torralba-Titgemeyer collection
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CANDY SERPENTS (after Picasso's Two Women Running on the Beach and my son Kai's serpent doodles), 2008, acrylic on paper, 22 X 22 inches
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HIS SERENADE (after Venus of Urbino ), 2008, acrylic on paper, 12.5 X 12.5 inches, Gerry dela Cruz collection
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MY SERENADE (after Venus of Urbino), 2009, oil on canvas, 35 X 35 inches, Jules Felix collection
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DECLINE AND FALL OF THE GREEK TRUMPETER, 2009, 9 X 14 inches, Jules Felix collection
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GREGORIAN CANT: HOMAGE TO HEART, 2009, acrylic on paper, 7.5 X 10 inches, private collection
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BLOODY MARY, 2009, oil on canvas, 8 X 10 inches, Sari Ortiga collection
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SAND DUNE CONCERTO, 2009, oil on canvas, 8 X 10 inches, Sari ortiga collection
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SURVIVAL ALLEGORY, 2011, oil on canvas, 24 X 24 inches, private collection
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| CIRCO DE AMOR, 2015, oil on canvas, 20 X 29 inches, The Artologist Gallery |
Illustrations
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| THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, 1989 |
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TINIK NA PIITAN (Fishbone Prison), 1992
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Cover art for a textbook on Reading published by Phoenix Publishing House
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| Cover art for a textbook on Reading published by Phoenix Publishing House |
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An illustration for Origin of the Frog, published by Rex Printing, Jerry Dean collection
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| An illustration for Origin of the Frog, Bert and Dulce Falsis collection |
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| An illustration for Origin of the Frog, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection |
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| An illustration for the story Chun, published by Tahanan Books, Reni Roxas collection |
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Cover art for First Around the Globe: The Story of Enrique, published by Tahanan Books, Marc Singer collection
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An illustration for The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel, published by Tahanan Books, Tisa Roxas-Tan collection
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An illustration for The Brothers Wu and the Good-Luck Eel, Marc Singer collection
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Cover art for An Introduction to Economics and Economic Development Issues in the Philippines, published by Bookmark, Bert and Dulce Falsis collection
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THE IMPERIALIST MANIFESTO (Cover art for a textbook on World History published by Bookmark), 1999, acrylic on paper, Reni Roxas collection
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Illustration for Rex Printing's 2000 Calendar, acrylic on paper
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Greeting card design for Hallmarks L.I.F.E. (Leukemic Indigent Fund Endowment) Project, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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THE FARMER AND HIS WIFE, 1999, acrylic on paper, 20 X 8 inches, Reni Roxas collection
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| THUMBELINA, 2000, oil on canvas, 10 X 12.5 inches, Mark Yap collection |
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THE LITTLE MERMAID, 2000, acrylic on paper,10 X 12.5 inches, Mark Yap collection
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THE WILD SWANS, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, Reni Roxas collection
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THE NIGHTINGALE, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, Didith Tan-Rodrigo collection
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THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, Bobby Roxas collection
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THE TRAVELING COMPANION, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, May C. Reyes collection
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THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, 2000, acrylic on paper, 20 X 12.5 inches, May C. Reyes collection
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| THE UGLY DUCKLING, 2000, acrylic on paper, 10 X 12.5 inches, Segundo Matias Jr. collection |
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SEA GYPSY ( an illustration for Anina ng mga Alon), published by Adarna House, 2002, acrylic on paper, Bert and Dulce Falsis collection
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RUMPELSTILTSKIN, 2003, acrylic on paper, 11.2 X 14 inches, Frances Ong collection
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THE GOOSE GIRL, 2003, acrylic on paper, 11.2 X 14 inches, Reni Roxas collection
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SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED, 2003, acrylic on paper, 11.2 X 14 inches, Marixi Rufino-Prieto collection
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SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, 2004, acrylic on paper, 11.2 X 14 inches, private collection
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RAPUNZEL, 2003, acrylic on paper, Reni Roxas collection
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HANSEL AND GRETEL, 2004, acrylic on paper, Marian Factora collection
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THE FROG PRINCE, 2003, acrylic on paper,Bert and Dulce Falsis collection
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THE SHOEMAKER AND THE ELVES, 2004, acrylic on paper, 11.2 X 14 inches, Jerry Dean collection
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Cover art for The Mermaid's Castle (Ang Palasyo sa Serena), published by Lulu.com, 2008, acrylic on paper, 10 X 8.5 inches, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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FREE DIVING CONTEST, 2008, acrylic on paper, 10 X 8.5 inches, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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| MERMEN DRUM CORPS, 2008,acrylic on paper, 10 X 8.5 inches, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection |
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SEAFOOD BUFFET, 2008, acrylic on paper, 10 X 8.5 inches, Vince Tabirara collection
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| CORAL CITY, 2008, acrylic on paper, 10 X 8.5 inches, Vince Tabirara collection |
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THE ABYSS (illustration for Alamat ng Agila). 2009, acrylic on paper, 9 X 12.75 inches, Segundo Matias Jr. collection |
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TEST FLIGHT (illustration for Alamat ng Agila). 2009, acrylic on paper, 9 X 12.75 inches, Segundo Matias Jr. collection
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WING ENVY (illustration for Alamat ng Agila), 2009, acrylic on paper, 9 X 12.75 inches, Dr. Manolet Delfin collection
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PRIMAL EAGLE (illustration forAlamat ng Agila), 2009,acrylic on paper, 9 X 12.75inches
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MISS BUTTERFLY (illustration for Alamat ng Palay), 2010, oil on canvas, 24 X 33 inches, Segundo Matias Jr. collection
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