I’ll never forget the first time I met renowned fantasy artist Don Maitz – because I didn’t even realize I had! My first year at Dragon*con (a rather large multi-fandom convention in Georgia, USA), I walked into the “Artist Alley” and saw this amazing table filled with fantasy and pirate art by Don Maitz.

I. Love. Pirates.

I immediately went up to the table, and purchased a Pirates! calendar. While I was busy paying one of the people at the booth, I noticed this man opening the plastic wrap on my calendar. I didn’t think much of it until he handed it back to me. He had drawn a little pirate on the inside cover! This was the artist himself: Don Maitz!

Ever since that experience, I’ve gone and paid a visit to Don at every Dragon*con I’ve attended. I always buy my Pirates! calendar, and he always does a cute little sketch of a female pirate inside.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing this Hugo Award winning fantasy artist (who is probably most known for the character he created for Captain Morgan Spiced Rum). He was kind enough to provide some incredibly thoughtful answers, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Alltern8: Don, I understand you started art training at the tender age of thirteen. What was it about art that had you so inspired and determined at such a young age?

Don Maitz: I always liked to draw. Where many artists began drawing the world around them, I began by drawing from imaginary sources. I withdrew from the world I saw into one of my own making through my drawings. Perhaps having a deaf ear was a motivating factor. I received an art kit with charcoal, pencils and watercolors several years before I enrolled at the Famous Artist Correspondence School at 13.