Ralph McQuarrie: An Artist For The Ages

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It was with a sad heart that I read and discovered Ralph McQuarrie had passed away on March 3, 2012 at the age of 82. For those that may not know, Ralph McQuarrie was the American conceptual illustrator for the original Star Wars trilogy. He also was a conceptual illustrator for the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, Raider of the Lost Ark, Cocoon, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Ralph McQuarrie's work on the 1985 film Cocoon earned him the Academy Award for Visual Effects.

I loved Ralph McQuarrie's work on the original Star Wars trilogy. His conceptual illustrations brought life to the films before they were available in the theaters and added depth to them afterwards. There are many found memories of sitting on my bed as a boy and looking through these illustrations.

Ralph McQuarrie was a true creative and visionary. Ralph you will be missed!!

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Paper Trail:

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated March 4, 2012.