Sad news everyone, Ralph McQuarrie has passed away this weekend. I'm sure you all know him well, but if you don't, he is basically the creator of the visual look and aesthetic of Star Wars. It was his fantastic concept artwork which helped George Lucas sell his crazy idea to the movie executives and get the first Star Wars made. He then went on to create the majority of the concept work for the remainder of the original trilogy, together with work on matte painting that appeared as effects within the movie too.

It goes without saying that the guy was a great inspiration to myself and was one of the key factors in my choosing to pursue a career in art from an early age. I still have stacks and stacks of books featuring his art and reproductions of my favourite pieces of his work hanging on my office wall.

A sad loss to the world of art and fantastical movie making.

Below is a link to a few words from George Lucas:

http://www.starwars.com/news/ralph_mcqu … bered.html