Don Maitz (born June 10, 1953) is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

, and commercial artist. He has twice won the

Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist The Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. The award has been given annually under several names since 1955, with the except ...

, science fiction's highest honor for an artist. His peers in the

Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, ASFA, is a non-profit, educational association, whose membership is made up of amateur and professional artists, art directors, art show managers, publishers and collectors involved in the vis ...

have honored him ten times with a Chesley Award for outstanding achievement, and he has received a Silver Medal of Excellence from the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

. A native of

Plainville, Connecticut Plainville is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,525 at the 2020 census. History Plainville first was inhabited by Europeans around 1650. By the 1660s, the land was incorporated as land for nearby Farm ...

, he is a 1975 graduate of the Paier School of Art. His art has adorned the covers of books by

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

C. J. Cherryh Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award-winning novels '' Downbelo ...

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

Gene Wolfe Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and nove ...

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

, and

Raymond E. Feist Raymond Elias Feist (; born Raymond Elias Gonzales III; December 21, 1945) is an American fantasy fiction author who wrote ''The Riftwar Cycle'', a series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and ha ...

, among others. Two compilations of his work have been published, ''Dreamquests: The Art of Don Maitz'', and ''First Maitz''. He also created the "Captain" character of the

Captain Morgan Captain Morgan is a brand of flavored rums (including, in Europe, some rum-flavored "premium spirit drinks") produced by British alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan. ...

brand of rum. Maitz resides in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

with his wife, fantasy novelist and artist

Janny Wurts Janny Wurts (born December 10, 1953) is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several standalone novels and series, including the '' Wars of Light and Shadow'', ''The Cycle of Fire'' trilogy and the internationally best- ...

Genres

Maitz's work covers the broad spectrum of Fantasy & Science Fiction and even horror. He has also painted an extensive collection of pirates, including the pirate on the labels of Captain Morgan rum.

Published works

Don Maitz has published two books featuring his own works entitled ''First Maitz'' and ''Dreamquests: The Art of Don Maitz''. Friedlander Publishing Group released two 90-card sets, each with five "chase" cards in 1994 and 1996. Maitz has also been included in the first book of series concentrating on artists who publish in the realm of Fantasy. This book is ''Fantasy Art Masters: The Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Artists Show How They Work''.

''First Maitz''

''First Maitz'' was published in 1988. A detailed overview of the artist's work, his techniques, inspirations, and sketches from start to finished painting.

''Dreamquests: The Art of Don Maitz''

Published in 1993, ''Dreamquests'' is a collection of Maitz's works. Raymond E. Feist gives the introduction, Maitz gives a few thoughts and then come pages and pages of beautiful images with a glossary at the end to give a title to the image and where it was used - book cover, magazine cover, etc.

''Raiding Parties''

''Raiding Parties'' is a pirate-themed card game featuring artwork by Maitz on each card.

References

External links

*
The Collaborative Worlds of Janny Wurtz and Don Maitz

Raiding Parties
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maitz, Don American speculative fiction artists Artists from Florida Fantasy artists Hugo Award-winning artists Living people People from Plainville, Connecticut Science fiction artists World Fantasy Award-winning artists 1953 births