Star Wars Insider #199 "The Clone Wars Ralph McQuarrie Concept Tribute" Magazine Cover (2008)-Russell Chong
Artists: Russell G. Chong (Painter) , Russell Chong (Painter)
3 Comments - 551 Views - 5 Likes
Additional Images:
Star Wars Insider Magazine #199 Cover
The Clone Wars Season One DVD Booklet Cover
McQuarrie's Star Wars Art Comparison
Artwork Details
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DescriptionThis painting by artist Russell G. Chong was a tribute to the legendary artist Ralph McQuarrie and it holds an interesting story. Russell was one of the senior concept artists that worked on The Clone Wars animated series. He came on board very early on to develop the series when Lucas Animation was still in the formation phase.On August 7, 2008, I had the pleasure of accompanying Ralph McQuarrie to the Big Rock Ranch, a Lucas Animation headquarters at the time for a private viewing of The Clone Wars feature film. We met Gary Scheppke, the Production Coordinator once we got there and he showed us to our seats inside their screening room. I still remember how surreal it was to sit beside Ralph and watching TCW together. Once the feature ended, Dave Filoni and Russell came into the room to greet us. That’s when Russell surprised Ralph with this painting and gifted it to him as a gratitude for the inspiration he had given to the entire art department. We left the room together and out onto the courtyard where the TCW concept artists gathered to meet and greet Ralph. We took several group photos, one of which made it into the Art of Clone Wars book. After meeting the artists, Gary showed us around the art department where we got to see a bunch of fantastic concepts and designs created by the talented artists whom we had met in the courtyard. It was apparent that Ralph's work greatly influenced some of the design choices. I learned later on that Russell started painting this tribute piece about two weeks prior to Ralph's Big Rock visit. He worked on it in his spare time during evenings and weekends at his home studio, finishing the painting just the night before Ralph’s visit. Before heading out to work the next morning, Russell signed & dated the artwork. The paints barely had time to dry when Russell took it to work with him. Ralph enjoyed the tribute painting for several years until he sadly passed away in 2012 and some years later, Russell ended up getting the artwork back. The painting made a full circle. In several occasions over the last couple of years, I hinted to Russell that I was interested in the painting and he’d always politely turned me down, so it was a huge surprise when he offered it for sale to me. I didn't hesitate and jumped right on it. Now I’m incredibly grateful to be the new caretaker of this painting, a piece that takes me right back to one of the most memorable days of my life. Thank you, Russell! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/3/2023
It is a great tribute piece with the grand tradition of Star Wars behind it. The original is well remembered as it had the embroidered patch look that was popular in the late 70's. The colors on this update are stellar.
H P
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 8/3/2023
Marcus Wai wrote:
It is a great tribute piece with the grand tradition of Star Wars behind it. The original is well remembered as it had the embroidered patch look that was popular in the late 70's. The colors on this update are stellar.
The colors are indeed stellar. Russell used some of the same techiques that McQuarrie used to illustrate, such as painting with cel vinyl and acrylic.
Kavi H
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 2/20/2025
really interesting piece, and what an incredible story you told in the description! thanks for sharing.
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