Smaug over Laketown

From J.R.R. Tolkiens' The Lord of the Rings to Botticellis' La Primivera, Donato Giancola balances modern concepts with historical inspirations to bridge the worlds of contemporary and historical figurative arts in his paintings. His influences encompass strolls of New York City streets as well as pilgrimages to museums - including the Uffizzi, Prado, Louvre, and Hermitage. Donato recognizes the significant cultural role played by visual art and makes personal efforts to contribute to the expansion and appreciation of the narrative genre that extend beyond the commissions of his clients. To those ends, the artist teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, Massachusetts and online through the SmArt School, and appears at various institutions, tournaments, and conventions worldwide where he performs demonstrations and lectures on his aesthetics. Born in 1967 and raised in Colchester, Vermont, USA, art was always a hobby for the artist. It was not until the age of twenty that Donato enrolled in his first formal art class and began his professional education. After graduating from Syracuse University Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Painting in 1992, Donato moved to New York City to immerse himself in the inspired and varied art scene. Formative years in the early nineties were spent as the studio assistant to the preeminent figure painter Vincent Desiderio, and long days of study in the museums of New York. It was then that his love and appreciation of classical figurative art took hold as his commercial illustration career flourished. Since beginning his professional career in 1993, Donato’s list of clients has grown to include major book publishers in New York to concept design firms on the West Coast: notables include The United Nations, LucasArts, National Geographic, Scientific American, CNN, DC Comics, Microsoft, The Village Voice, Playboy Magazine, US Postal Service, Wizards of the Coast , Scholastic, Simon&Schuster, Tor Books, Random House, Time/Warner, The Scifi Channel, Milton-Bradley, and Hasbro. Merits range from the Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators in 2008 to twenty-three Chesley Awards from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, three Artist Hugo Awards for outstanding professional work from the World Science Fiction Society, notable awards from the Art Renewal Center, and six silver and two gold medals from the juried annual Spectrum: The Best of Contemporary Fantastic Art. Donato lives with his wife and two daughters in Brooklyn, New York.