Over the past year I had been creating oil paintings for the recently released 2015 George R.R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar. As you can imagine, it was a thrill to tackle twelve images for this collection celebrating the world of Westeros. With each painting, I wished to tackle visions and themes which may have not been attempted by other artists, interpreting the words of Mr. Martin in a unique manner.
Building upon the recent theme of lectures to my students on Painting Between the Lines, the final painting for the calendar showcased the forging of the Iron Throne, an act frequently referred to within the novels, but never visualized. I love these chances to get into the narrative, mine the meaning of the author, and add to the experience beyond just bringing words to life. George had worked with another artist, Marc Simonetti, who created the 2013 Calendar, to realize an image of the Throne which was closer to his vision. Honoring the wishes of the author, it is this throne from which I based my interpretation from.
Enjoy! And now back into the studio to finish a Red Sonya portrait languishing since the Illustration Master Class back in June…stop reading and start painting!
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| Forging the Iron Throne 2014 Oil on Panel Donato Giancola |
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| Rough Drawings Tywin Lannister & Forging the Iron Throne |
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| Marc Simonetti and George Martin’s Iron Throne |
Saw this painting in person at Illuxcon. Didn't get to speak with any of you Muddy Colorites but admire what you are doing and how you're building a community of sharing it. Thank you!
A friend of mine's daughter happened to be at the SDCC this year and managed to pick up a copy of the calendar for me. All of the paintings in it are beautiful, but the Forging is definitely one of the images I thought particularly stunning. Thank you, Donato, for bringing this to life.
Yep… Got back from IlluXcon a couple days ago… Stunning and inspirational paintings Donato