With Postage Stamp, Boerum Hill Fantasy Artist Makes His Mark

Growing up, Donato Giancola was influenced by the typical stuff of adolescence: comic books, Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons and The Lord of the Rings. At the same time, Giancola loved to draw.

"I was just prolific,” said the Boerum Hill resident. "I drew everything."

Since then, Giancola has worked to channel his interests and abilities and has become one of the most renowned artists in the science fiction and fantasy genres. His artwork -- which has graced book covers and trading cards -- is marked by a style reminiscent of the Renaissance. Among the eclectic characters depicted in his art are wizards, warriors and dragons.

And now, the artist’s work has crossed over to U.S. postage stamps. Giancola's artwork was selected for the upcoming Mercury Messenger stamps to be released by the United States Postal Service on May 4.

One of the stamps honors astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first American in space during his mission on the Freedom 7 spacecraft 50 years ago. The second stamp commemorates Messenger, the first spacecraft to go around Mercury.

Giancola, who is also a teacher at the School of Visual Arts, painted a 7' x 8' work called "Prometheus," which portrayed astronauts. That work led him to create the art for United Nations stamps that centered on the theme of space. As Giancola recalls, his space portfolio must have caught the attention of Phil Jordan, an art director with the Postal Service.

"I think they've been familiar with my work as an illustrator, because I've been illustrating for 15 years or so," he said.

Giancola admits he was surprised to get the assignment. 

"They needed someone who had knowledge about space equipment and astronauts but also could do a portrait," he said. "Even though I never done an astronaut portrait before, it was evident that I could pull it together."

Giancola is happy to have his art depicted on the stamps.

"I'm getting rid of all the stamps I have. I’m using them all up!" he said proudly. "This will be my stamp."

In Giancola’s art, the human spirit is an ongoing theme. He wants to show the inner turmoil of every character he draws.

Giancola, who hails from Vermont and studied art at Syracuse University, is also known for his artwork based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. For Giancola, a fan of the series, the works began as something fun to do.

But soon, his drawings turned into many drawings and some even turned into paintings. A colleague suggested he do a book. The result was Middle-Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth, a published collection of drawings and paintings featuring characters from Tolkein’s literary world.

Again, Giancola applied the human element to the fantasy characters.

"I think of the dwarves and elves as humans. When I’m painting them, they tend to look more human than some people would have envisioned," he said. "I think that’s what makes fantasy and science fiction very effective, because it allows you to substitute aliens for cultural differences."

"When I’m actually doing paintings, I’m stripping away the otherness more so because to me they’re like another human from another culture," he continued.

Giancola's works have received numerous accolades including three Hugo Awards, (a prestigiuous honor in the sci-fi and fantasy genres). He recently netted a silver award for his painting, "Mind Machine: Vast Oceans of Truth" in Spectrum, a yearly book that exhibits the best in sci-fi and fantasy art. 

Giancola, a husband and father of two, has been a resident of Boerum Hill for nearly 20 years. It's at his home where his studio — surrounded by a large easel near the window, numerous tubes of paint, and his paintings — is located. He participates in the Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk and loves the lively city streets of his neighborhood. 

"One of our favorite summertime activities is after dinner [my family and I will] eat our dessert and we’ll go sit on the stoop out front. We’re out there by 7 o'clock and that’s when a lot of people are coming home from work, so we’ll get to say 'hi' to the neighbors."

In addition to book covers and stamps, Giancola also spends his time working on private commissions for people.

"It’s still about storytelling,” he said. "The emotional structure between two people is something I base a lot of my work on. Whether that’s for The Lord of the Rings or science fiction, I still try to capture those humanistic qualities. That's why I think I still have a career going."