Don Maitz
@donmaitz.bsky.social
170 followers 47 following 28 posts
Artist of sea rovers, myths, science fiction, Captain Morgan and the fantastic. https://paravia.com/DonMaitz/
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donmaitz.bsky.social
Pleased to learn that two of my paintings are semi-finalists in the 18th International ARC Salon Competition, with the winners to be announced on Jan 5, 2026.

"Evening Shore" is a semi-finalist in the Landscape category, while "Friend or Foe" is a semi-finalist in the Imaginative Realism category.
Evening Shore, original artwork by Don Maitz depicting ocean waves on a beach at sunset. Friend or Foe. Original artwork by Don Maitz depicting a mermaid encountering a shark.
donmaitz.bsky.social
And the finale in this project that lasted an eternity... Here is the wrap-around cover art for a new edition of End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov, coming soon from Phantasia Press.
Original artwork by Don Maitz. A man stands before a metallic console in surroundings like a space station. Beams of light emanate from his hands, outstretched to either side.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Here's the 3rd interior oil painting I created for a new edition of End of Eternity, titled "Embracing Eternity".
Original artwork by Don Maitz. Shows a woman with arms raised, walking down a narrow path that emerges from concentric triangles.
donmaitz.bsky.social
The second of four paintings I created for an edition of End of Eternity (Phantasia Press): "Changing Eternity".
Original artwork by Don Maitz. A balding man smoking a cigarette looks at a futuristic console. On the screen is a man, visible from the shoulders up and surrounded by colorful textures.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Here's the first oil painting from my journey through eternity for Phantasia Press: "Stepping into Eternity".
Original artwork by Don Maitz, showing a man standing in space and stepping through a series of triangles towards a bright light.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Yes. I do have legs... This was photographed from the balcony in the studio. The art is arranged resting on a table.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Switching gears from wizards and scallywags... I recently completed 4 oil paintings for an edition of The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (Phantasia Press). I started with smaller acrylic color studies that served as a guide for the final art. Close-ups of each painting to follow next week!
Don Maitz gesturing at 8 new oil paintings on a black backdrop.
donmaitz.bsky.social
A new painting to share... "Secret Tunnels of Marok" is a 24” x 18” oil on panel work. The art is based on a game and intended for a book cover: www.paravia.com/DonMaitz/art...
Original artwork by Don Maitz. A party of 4 adventurers confer near a trap door. In the background, a lit tower illuminates a castle.
donmaitz.bsky.social
My oil painting, Picaroon, has just been juried into the 42nd Schaefer International Marine Art Exhibition at The Mariner Gallery in Newport, RI. It will open on September 18 and run through October 10.
Original oil painting, Picaroon, by Don Maitz. Depicts a pirate wearing a fancy hat at the bow of a boat looking back.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Here's a new painting for my Pirates Ashore collection... I started painting "Shore Leave" at Venice Beach as a plein air effort with the idea of using the scene as a background / foreground setting for some pirates to be added later: www.paravia.com/DonMaitz/art...
Original artwork by Don Maitz. Oil on canvas painting depicting a pirate on a beach. In the background are three other pirates. A ship sails on the horizon.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Three of my preliminary sketches are available for auction through Heritage Auctions until July 9 -- two acrylic sketches and a watercolour in excellent condition: comics.ha.com/c/search/res...
3 preliminary sketches by Don Maitz: Beach Attack, Monsters & Magic, and Gods of Dawn.
donmaitz.bsky.social
@jannywurts.bsky.social and I both have works on display in the Enchanted Brush exhibit at the Findlay's Mazza Museum in Findlay, OH. You can see "Arthur in Battle" and "Arthur Knights Lancelot" in the exhibit through August 29th.
Legendary and Fantastical tales at Mazza
Museum presents 11th Enchanted Brush exhibit
thecourier.com
donmaitz.bsky.social
Jeff Brown and I recently chatted about fantastic and imaginative art with Jake at Nerd Level Rising.
Creating Fantasy Art | With Don Maitz and Jeff Brown
YouTube video by Nerd Level Rising
www.youtube.com
donmaitz.bsky.social
My oil painting, Blackbeard's Flotilla, has been juried into the online 2025 Art of the Sea Exhibition sponsored by the National Maritime Historical Society and the American Society of Marine Artists. It will be exhibited and on sale between 6/1 - 7/1: seahistory.org/art-of-the-s...
Blackbeard's Flotilla, an original oil painting by Don Maitz. It was inspired by the 300th anniversary of Black beard's 1718 blockade of Charleston Harbor and a visit to Bald Head Island where Black Beard's blockading ships passed by on their journey north.
Reposted by Don Maitz
jannywurts.bsky.social
Attention indy book community, cover designers, anyone art oriented interested in creating maximum impact on a book cover, while making the image 'tell the story' you want to present. A MUST VIEW VIDEO on Philip Chase's channel:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqhS...
Crafting Book Covers that Tell the Story: A Conversation with Artist Don Maitz
YouTube video by Philip Chase
www.youtube.com
donmaitz.bsky.social
I recently joined @philipchase90.bsky.social to talk about creating book cover artwork that effectively conveys the essence of a story -- no AI, no interchangeable stock images, just human creativity and years of study.
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Hugo Award-winning artist Don Maitz shares his wisdom and experience on crafting book covers that convey the essence of a story, something only a human artist can do! 🔗 to vid in reply.
donmaitz.bsky.social
Recently got back from the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts. Here's a photo of a panel I was part of.
ceciliatan.com
Panel on mythic fiction and art with artists Don Maitz and Charles Vess, and writers Ellen Klages and Isabel Yap at #icfa @donmaitz.bsky.social @isabelyaps.bsky.social
Don standing about to show his slide show and the others seated at the panel table
donmaitz.bsky.social
My work, "Evening Shores", is juried into a local exhibition at the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) show, taking place March 7-21 at Palm Avenue Fine Art ,in Sarasota, FL: palmavenuefineart.com
Evening Shores by Don Maitz
Reposted by Don Maitz
donmaitz.bsky.social
My oil painting, Friend or Foe, was a part of the American Society of Marine Artists' first online exhibition in 2024. Less than 100 works were picked from 450 submissions. This artwork can be purchased as a giclée print from my Studio Shop: shop.paravia.com/don-maitz/im...
Friend or Foe, original artwork by Don Maitz
Reposted by Don Maitz
omarrayyanart.bsky.social
On my easel today: oil painting.
🐸
#art #wip #artsky #oilpainting #hoptoit
Reposted by Don Maitz
shawnspeakman.com
I've had the privilege to work with artist @donmaitz.bsky.social on many projects at @grimoakpress.bsky.social. My favorite is his work on my own fantasy novel, The Dark Thorn. He painted the below spread as well as illustrated 15 black and white interiors.

The book will release this year.
donmaitz.bsky.social
I recently completed artwork for @shawnspeakman.com's Dark Thorn (Grim Oak Press). This unused cover art features the hero surrounded by magic weapons connected to empowered standing stones. Weapons grant power to knights who are portal keepers of legendary Celtic lands. 🧵1/5
Unused cover art for Dark Thorn by Don Maitz, provided for Shawn Speakman's Dark Thorn novel.
Reposted by Don Maitz
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
THE CROSSING (1997)
Oil on Canvas - 30" X 60"

The uncertainty of and inescapable attraction to the concept of life after death. 1/2
In a grassy field stands a leafless tree with limbs bowing gracefully left. Bathed in golden light, bare branches twist and spread like blood vessels against pale sky. Shadow falls across a trunk mostly stripped of bark, and several splintered limbs lie lifeless on the nearby ground. Extending in a line from this gnarly detritus, mist rises off well-manicured lawn as if the ground itself is exhaling. A transparent sphere containing a single flame floats low across the land while a small stream meanders, falling directly behind the sphere as if guiding it along an intended path. Barely visible in a lemony wash that defines soft rolling hills, a white starburst—possibly another sphere blinking out—sits far afield, tinting the bushy topped trees that line the background distance.
Reposted by Don Maitz
jannywurts.bsky.social
"A bad king revels in his importance. A good one hates his office. He spends himself into infirmity quashing deadly little plots to make power the tool of the greedy."
-Arithon s'Ffalenn.