Thank you, Ralph McQuarrie

Ralph McQuarrie, conceptual artist for many films, died the other day. Every article and blog post out there cites his art that heavily influenced the eventual look of, among other films, Star Wars, and the frank truth is that without McQuarrie's concept paintings, Lucas might well have never convinced any studio to bankroll the film in the first place.

Here's a sampling of his work, via AICN:

Enjoy the stars, Mr. McQuarrie!