Pirates on the Wall

AT SEA -- Everyone has his or her favorite image of what a pirate should look like. Robert Louis Stevenson found them ill looking and dangerous. Hollywood, on the other hand, gave them a handsome and often humorous look.

Don Maitz, the celebrated artist who designed the pirate for Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum back in 1982, has just released his long-awaited calendar -- a collection of original art that serves up a healthy amalgam of Stevenson and Hollywood.

Until recently you had to visit a museum to see Maitz' work. His 2006 calendar, called appropriately, "Pirates!," offers a wide variety of his more famous paintings in graphic detail and hard-to-ignore proportions.

Theme tidbits are provided in the date boxes, such as the celebration of "Talk Like A Pirate Day," and the anniversary of Sir Francis Drake's taking of the treasure ship Cacafuego in 1529. Each page contains a wealth of artwork.

Maitz, known by his fans as the "Rum Artist," is also known for breathing new life into what historians refer to as "the Golden Age of Pirates" with the intricate detail and alarming drama of his work.

This work is often compared, obviously, to artists Howard Pyle and N.C. Wyeth. Yet, many compare Maitz' paintings to the legendary Tolkien images created by the Hildebrandt brothers of the 1970s.

In addition to the calendar, Maitz has chosen two selections from this project to be made into signed and numbered Qoro replicas, scanned directly from his original art.

The calendars, published by Tide-Mark, sell for $12.95 (US). Both calendars and digital reproductions are available on the artist's website at www.paravia.com/DonMaitz. More information on Maitz' artwork can be found at www.tidemarkpress.com.