Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak, the author of “Where the Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen” passed yesterday. I don’t know about you guys, but before I got into comic books or Star Wars or even Disney, “Where the Wild Things Are” was probably one of the first examples of an author, artist, or film maker inspiring me. I’ve never thought of his work in that context but his talent as an illustrator but more importantly his ability to make fantastical characters come to life is a seminal inspiration in my desire to make things. When I was at Pratt he came to the school to speak. It was great to hear about his process in creating his books, how his life story influenced his work, but most importantly was his focus. I remember him describing his work as if the characters flowed through him. Like they had always existed, like they had one way and one way only to be represented in his stories.

Thank you Mr. Sendak thank you for creating the books of my childhood, thank you for creating the books of my son’s childhood. Here is his New York Times Obituary.