This morning I read that Ralph McQuarrie has died. Oddly enough, I didn’t even know his name until today, but I certainly knew his work. He was the conceptual designer behind the original Star Wars trilogy, among many other works, and he created the visual world that completely enraptured my childhood mind. It’s strange to think that I didn’t know who deserved credit for that until his passing.
There’s a slide show of his concept art for Star Wars at the official site. It’s amazing how faithful the films are to his renderings.
There’s also an extensive gallery of his work at his official site.