Alysia JudgeIt’s now been thirty five years since the immortal words “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” first graced our screens. To celebrate the anniversary of the third-highest grossing film franchise (beaten only by the Harry Potter and James Bond series) a York artist has had his work featured on a series of commemorative cards created to honour the event.
Working from his home in Rawcliffe, Lee Lightfoot has produced over one hundred tiny paintings, each featuring a scene from the six films in the space saga. For over sixty years, trading card manufacturer Topps has been a leader in the collectibles market, delivering detailed artwork for classic entertainment. Their new collection for the 35th Star Wars Anniversary will feature a variety of characters including Darth Vader, Ewan McGregor’s Obi Wan and Princess Leia, a range that has required Lightfoot to work eighteen hour days to produce.
The cards he creates will be sold within regular trading packs as ’sketch’ cards at the classic size of 3.5 inch by 2.5inch, a scale that some artists find limiting but Lightfoot revels in. His last series of cards, “Night of the Living Dead” for Unstoppable Cards sold out within a few days. It is hoped this latest collection will be equally successful when they’re released in September.
