5/3/2023 UPDATE! Because an artist is never happy, I made just a few slight changes to the collage today — So be sure to check it again! I’ve added my friend and wonderful actor David Frankham as Larry Marvick on here ( I had him all set up yesterday and forgot to save it!!) as well as a spilled coffee cup and a rename on the drum; changing it to BAND instead of BRAND, which confused people. (It was meant as franchise humor)
It’s really done now! Thanks for your comments and likes! 🙂
HI Everyone!
Sorry I’ve been away for a while, (busy with life) but I’m back and I wanted to share this updated collage with you!
I originally created this collage in 2018 with the use of my ancient computer program (don’t laugh) Print Master Platnium 18.1. Although I liked the original, (and you can see it here) it clearly lacked the precision and sharpness I could make with my Adobe Printshop program, with which I’ve been making all my latest colleges with ever since. On the old program one had to crop images by painstakingly outlining them dot by dot and them eliminating the background. With Adobe, this process became much less time consuming and tedious! You can also see how even the writing on the bass drum looks much more realistic, especially since my son taught me how to add fonts to my system!
So here’s my updated Beatle/Trek homage of of “Captain Jim Kirk’s Starfleet Brand” I’ve added a few characters and props, and I find it highly more satisfying! Note: I didn’t add a key this time, since I figure many of my readers will recognize just about everyone here! Have fun with it and let me what you think!
I hope to have an public exhibit of many of my collages up sometime. I’ll let you know if it ever happens 🙂
For the past two months I’ve been working on my traditional, annual Memorial Collage for celebrities and newsmakers. I usually post this in January, but sadly, there were so many passing’s of notables that it’s taken a lot longer than usual. (The Musician page alone has way too many!)
Anyway, I worked all day yesterday on the final portion of the collage and I THOUGHT I saved it. Well, this morning it’s nowhere to be found and I have to start all over again on that part! (Waaaah!!)
Here’s hoping I’ll have the whole thing up within a week. You’ll see it here as soon as it’s finished, with name keys and all.
For now, here’s only a small portion.
Take care today and make every day count! Love you all – Therese
As I did last year and as I hope to do every year, here is my collage tribute to all the wonderful actors, entertainers, writers, musicians, and newsmakers who have passed on. So many wonderful lives here; some long, some painfully too short. But all memorable. Sadly we lost several notable Star Trek guest actors too, but I’m thankful I can include them as often they are overlooked. I’ve included as many as I can find, and forgive me if I left some out. But I hope you will find some beloved familiar faces, and discover some new ones! Lots of inspiration here. Gone but not forgotten, Rest in Peace.
I’ve included a Key to all the faces below. Let me know who you remember and enjoyed! ❤
1. Senator Harry Reid, 82, Senate Majority Leader under POTUS Obama 2. Colin Powell, 84, Former Secretary of State, General under POTUS G.W.Bush 3.Walter Mondale, 93, Senator of Minnesota, Presidential Candidate 1984. 4.Mort Sahl, 94, Political Comedian, In Love and War, Don’t Make Waves5. Captain Sir Tom Moore, 100, Beloved British WWII Army Captain who walked 100 laps around his garden leading up to his 100th birthday, to raise money for Covid. He raised millions of pounds. Sadly later passed from Covid,but not before he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 6. Bell Hooks, 69, Writer, Professor, Activist, Ain’t I A Woman?7. Jackie Mason, 93, Borscht Belt Comedy Legend 8. Janet Malcolm, 86, Writer and journalist The Silent Woman, Nobody’s Looking at You 9. Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 90, Archbishop of South Africa, Anti-Apartheid Activist and Peacemaker.10.Joan Didion, 87, Writer, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking11. Ned Beatty, 83, Actor, Deliverance, Superman, Network, The Big Easy.12. Michael Constantine, 94, Actor, Room 222, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 13. Cicely Tyson, 96, Beloved Actress Sounder, Roots, The Biography of Miss Jane Pittman 14. Norm MacDonald, 61, comedian and actor, Saturday Night Live15. Jean Paul Belmondo, 88, Actor and Director, Breathless,L’Homme de Rio,Le Professionnel16. Michael K. Williams, 54, Actor, Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, Assassin’s Creed17. Tanya Roberts, 65, Actress A View to a Kill, Sheena, The Beastmaster18. Granville Adams, 58, Actor, Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, Empire 19. Dustin Diamond, 44, Actor Saved by the Bell, Pee Wee’s Big Top 20. Dean Stockwell, 85, Actor, The Boy with the Green Hair, Quantum Leap21. Dilip Kumar, 98, Beloved Bollywood Actor Devdas, Madhumati, Ram, Aur, Shyam 22. Arlene Golonka, 85, Actress, Mayberry RFD, Hang ‘Em High, Penelope23. Willard Scott, 87, original Ronald McDonald, beloved weatherman of The Today Show24.Charles Grodin 86, Actor, Heaven Can Wait,Seems Like Old Times 25. Claus Evans, 85, Beloved local repertory actor of The Cider Mill Playhouse and more, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, 1776. 26. John Arndt, 93, Actor, as various crew-members in 5 Star Trek TOS episodes. 27. Fran Bennett, 84, Actress, Star Trek TNG: Redemption I, The Manor.28. Henry Darrow, 88, Actor, Manito Montoya on High Chaparral, Kolopak on Star Trek Voyager29.Mimi Cozzens, 86, Actress, The Master, Question of Honor, and ST:TNG- Reunification Part I (Romulan Soup Woman) 30. Gregory Sierra, 83, Actor, Sanford & Son, Barney Miller, Star Trek DS931. Beverly Cleary, 104, Magical Children’s Author, Ramona series 32. Eric Carle, 91, Children’s Author The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar 33. Sarah Weddington, 76, Attorney, Law Professor, won Roe V. Wade 34. Cloris Leachman, 94, Beloved Actress The Last Picture Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Raising Hope 35. Peter Scolari, 66, Actor, Bosom Buddies, Newhart, That Thing You Do!36. Brayden Smith 24, Young 5-time Champion of Jeopardy!37. Sally Ann Howes, 91, Actress, Singer, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mission Impossible38 .Don Everly, 84, Musician, writer, with brother Phil, half of The Everly Brothers, All I have to Do is Dream, Wake Up Little Susie39.Walter Olkewicz, 72, Actor, Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, Cheers40. Lionel Blair, 92, British Dancer Give Us a Clue, The Real Marigold Hotel 41. Haya Harareet, 89, Beautiful Actress, Last surviving cast member of Ben-Hur (1959) where she played Esther. 42.Jane Withers 95, actress, Affairs of Geraldine, Giant, and in Comet commercials Josephine the plumber 43. Jane Powell, 92 Actress, Singer, Dancer, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Royal Wedding 44. Betty Lynn, 95 Actress, Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show45. George Gerdes, 72, Singer, Composer, Character Actor Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, NCIS46. Sophie 34, musician and activist, It’s Okay to Cry47.James Hormel, 88, American philanthropist, LGBT activist, diplomat, and heir to the Hormel meatpacking fortune 48. Tom LeGarde, 90, Musician and actor, along with brother Ted, one of The LeGarde Twins, a pioneering Australian Country Duo. Also with his brother, one of the Herman Series in I, Mudd, Star Trek TOS 49. Gavin O’Herlihy, 70, Actor, Happy Days, Willow, and as Maje Jabin in Star Trek Voyager (Caretaker) 50. Nathan Jung, 74 Actor, Genghis Khan on Star Trek TOS, Big Trouble in Little China, Darkman .51. Jan Shutan 88, Actress, lovely and determined Lt. Mira Romaine TOS The Lights of Zetar52. Eddie Paskey, 81 Actor and stuntman, beloved Mister Leslie, and several other crew members on Star Trek TOS53. Alex Cord, 88, Actor, Dylan Hunt in (Gene Roddenberry’s) Genesis II, Archangel in Airwolf 54. Sharon Begley 64, Science Journalist, The Plastic Brain, Can’t Just Stop 55. Willie Garson,57, Actor, 57 Sex and the City 56. Ed Asner, 91, Actor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Up57.Betty White, 99, beloved pioneering Television actress and Comedienne, Password, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls58.Prince Philip 99, Husband and Consort of Queen Elizabeth II 59. Deshayla Harris 29, Singer/rapper Bad Girls Club60. Chick Corea 79, Jazz Legend & composer, keyboardist, bandleader, Light as a Feather61. Marion Ramsey 73, Actress, Officer Laverne Hooks in Police Academy movies. 62. Arlene Dahl, 96, Hollywood Actress, Journey to the Center of the Earth, My Wild Irish Rose63. AnneBuydens Douglas, 102, Producer, Deep River, Widow of Kirk Douglas.64. Mary Wilson 76, Beloved Singer, Co-Founding Member of The Supremes 65. Joanne Rogers 92, Puppeteer, writer, and wife of Mister Rogers, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. 66. Neville ‘Bunny’ Wailer, 73, Founding Member of The Wailers 67.Nick Kamen,59, Model and Singer, I Promised Myself, Each Time 68. Joseph Siravo 64, Actor, Carlito’s Way, The Sopranos 69. Robert Herron 97, Actor Stuntman, “Sam” in Charlie X Star Trek TOS70. Christopher Plummer 91, Shakespearian Actor, Oedipus Rex,The Sound of Music, and General Chang in Star Trek VI71. Joanne Linville, 93. Actress, Twilight Zone, Star Trek TOS as the Romulan Commander. Author, Seven Steps to an Acting Craft. 72. Mary-Linda Rapelye, 76, Actress, In Cold Blood, As the World Turns, and Irina in Star Trek’s The Way to Eden73. Camille Saviola, 71, Broadway Actress, Nine, The Heights, Chicago, and KaiOpaka in DS974. Michael McKenzie, 74, My dear oldest Brother, Scuptor, Writer, Author, loving Dad, Major Toad. 75. John McKenzie, 70, My dear second oldest Brother, hard working, loving artist, helper, and every-man .76. Joe Lara 58, Actor, Tarzan, Hologram Man. 77. George Segal 87, Actor, The Goldbergs, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?78.Gavin MacLeod 90, Actor, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat 79. Markie Post, 70, Actress, The Fall Guy, Night Court, and Hearts Afire80. Deezer D (Dearon) Thompson 55, Actor, ER, Rapper It’s Goin’ Down Tonight, Stop-I love Hip Hop. 81. DMX,(Earl Simmons),50, Rapper Party Up, Where the Hood At?82. Jay Pickett 60, Actor, General Hospital, Port Charles. 83. Olympia, Dukakis 89,Oscar Award winning Actress Moonstruck. Steel Magnolias,Mr. Holland’s Opus. 84. Dusty Hill 78, Musician, member of ZZ Top, Legs 85.Melvin Van Peebles 89, Actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist, and composer. Father of actor Mario. 86. Gerry Marsden 78, Gerry and the Pacemakers Ferry Cross the Mersey 87. Charlie Watts 80, Beloved drummer of The Rolling Stones 88.Carlos Marin, 53, Beloved baritone singer of Il Divo 89.Trisha Noble 76, Singer Actress, Carry On Series, Columbo, Star Wars Episodes II and III as Jobal Naberrie 90. Inge Ginsberg, 99, Holocaust Survivor and Heavy Metal singer. Inge & the Tritone Kings91. Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, 70, Saxophonist, Kool & the Gang, 92. Harry Brandt, 24, Model, Socialite 93. Art Lafleur, 78, Actor The Sandlot, Field of Dreams 94. Peter Mark Richman 93, Actor, Santa Barbara, Dynasty, Ralph Offenhouse in Star Trek TNG93. 95. Lisa Banes 65, Actress, Gone Girl, Cocktail, Star Trek DS9, (Dr. Renhol) 96. Patrick Horgan, 92, Actor, Zelig, The Doctors, Ryans Hope, and Eneg in Patterns of Force (TOS) 97. JoAnna Cameron 70, Actress, The Secrets of Isis, Shazaam!. B.S. I Love You. 98. Reuben B. Klamer, 99, Engineer and creator of the Phaser Rifle used in the first pilot episodes of Star Trek99. Tom. O‘Conner, 80, British Television host 100. Mira Furlan, 65, beloved Actress of Babylon 5 and Lost101. Stuart Damon, 84, Actor, Prince Charming in Cinderella and Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital.102.Larry King 87, Talk Show Host, Larry King Live103. Jahmil French, 29, Actor Degrassi: The Next Generation 104.Hal Holbrook 95, Beloved Actor, All the Presidents Men, Mark Twain Tonight105. ClarenceWilliams III, 81, Actor, The Mod Squad, Tales from the Hood106. Al Harrington, 85 Actor, Hawaii Five-0 107. Leon Spinks 67, Heavyweight Boxing Champion. 108. Paddy Moloney 83, Lead singer with tin whistle with The Cheiftans109. Michael Nesmith,78, Musician and Composer, Beloved Member of The Monkees, instrumental in creating MTV. 110. Hilton Valentine, 77, Musician, guitarist for The Animals 111. Quindon Traver 38, Singer, Everybody’s Free, When Doves Cry (cover) 112. Astro, (Terence) Wilson,64, Founding Member of UB40 Red Red Wine, Kingston Town113. Brian Travers,80, Founding Member UB40 114.Sylvain (Mizrahi) Sylvain 69, Musician, New York Dolls. 117. Tawny Kitaen 59, Actress, Model in Whitesnake video, Here I Go Again, Bachelor Party, 115. Mark Eden, 92, Actor, Coronation Street116. Johnny Briggs, 85, Actor Coronation Street117. Tawny Kitaen 59, Actress, Model in Whitesnake video, Here I Go Again, Bachelor Party118.Ron Popiel ,86 Creator of the Pocket Fisherman, the Veg-O-Matic and Master of all the other gadgets you thought you couldn’t live without. 119. Peter Ackroyd 65, Actor and writer, Saturday Night Live, brother of actor/comedian Dan Ackroyd. 120. Helen McCrory 52, ActressHarry Potter Movies, Skyfall, Peaky Blinders, wife of actor Damian Lewis. 121.Jackie Lane 79, Actress, Singer, Dr Who, Compact 122. Una Stubbs, 84, Actor, Dancer, Til Death Us Do Part, Worzel Gummidge, Sherlock123. John Paragon, 66 Comedian and Actor, Jambi on Pee Wee’s Playhouse.124.Felix Silla 84, Beloved character actor, Buck Rogers (Twikki) , Cousin Itt, and even a background Talosian!125. Barbara Shelly 86, Queen of Horror Movies Dracula Prince of Darkness, Village of the Damned, Five Million Years to Earth126. Elbaz Alber, 59, fashion designer, Creative Director of Lanvin, Paris 127. Anne Rice 80, Gothic Novelist, Interview with the Vampire 128. Paul Ritter 54, Character Actor, Harry Potter, Chernobyl. 129. Shin’ichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba, 82, Actor, Kill Bill I & II, The Street Fighter. 130. Siegfried Fischbacher, 81, Tiger Trainer, partner of the late Roy Horn. 131.Yaphet Kotto 85 Actor, Live and Let Die, Alien132. Jessica Walter 80, Actress, Play Misty for Me, Arrested Development, Archer133. (Henry) ‘Hank’ Aaron 86, Baseball Legend, #44, Milwaukee Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, who broke Babe Ruth’s hitting record in 1974. (715 hits) 134. Biz Markie, 57 rapper, actor, producer, Just a Friend, Let Go My Eggo135. Graeme Edge 80, Drummer for the Moody Blues Nights in White Satin136. Tommy Lasorda 93, Manager of the LA Dodgers 1976-1996. 137. Vincent Jackson, 38, Football Player, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.138. Michael Apted, 75, British Film Director, SEVEN Up! 63 Up, The World is not Enough139. Sondheim Stephen, 91, Genius Lyricist, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music 140. John Madden, 85, Beloved American Football Coach and Broadcaster, 141. James Michael Tyler, 59, Actor, Friends142. Halna Hutchens, 42, Ukrainian Cinematographer, Archenemy, Rust 143. Robert Downey Sr, 85 Actor, Director Father of Robert Downey Jr. 144. Mike Mitchell,77, Musician with The Kingsmen Louie, Louie145. Virgil Abloh, 41, American Fashion designer and Entrepreneur. Artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear 146.Richard Gilliland,76, Actor,Designing Women, The Waltons (husband of actress Jean Smart) 147. John Reilly, 86, Actor, General Hospital, Sunset Beach, and Passions148. Jean-Marc Vallee,58, Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. Dallas Buyers Club, Young Victoria149. Richard Donner, 91, Director, Superman (1978) The Goonies. 150. James Hampton, 84, Actor, F Troop, (Dobbs) Teen Wolf, Sling Blade 151. Tommy Kirk, 79, beloved Disney Actor, Old Yeller, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Shaggy Dog. Fired from Disney for being openly gay.
Well, since my original might be a tad overwhelming, I made made copies of my massive homage and divided it up into eight bite-size pieces so you can see everything a bit better! This way you won’t have to got to the DeviantArt link as much either! Enjoy, and check the list below for images you might have missed! 🙂
Detail #1 The Banner. Along the top I basically gave a Spock Timeline. Beginning with a concerned Sulu seeing Leonard in his tiny part from Them. Then Spock’s evolution from The Cage to The Corbomite Maneuver, with a nice fact-to-fiction composite of wee Leonard (age 10) learning water purification during WWII, and Spock fiddling with some chemistry hardware in a publicity still.* Then Spock plays a Vulcan harp and Leonard plays guitar while Flamenco Spock puppet-masters it over both! There’s Court Martial Spock through Hats and Bloopers (and laughing on Platonious) while Spock cuddles Isis. Publicity Profile of Spock and my profile portrait of Leonard in 2013. And to bookend Sulu’s screen, Nimoy’s Bookshelf! Detail #2 The Writers Corner. Where the collage began. I did not want to make this exclusively Spock, so I started on Leonard’s creative pursuits. Writings include his poetry and photography books, greeting cards and the full lyrics toMaiden Wine. Also a poster and scene from Never Forget, a beautiful, touching letter he wrote to a bi-racial teenager about how Spock manages in the world as an alien. A pink telegram to the White House; it reads “In the name of decency, don’t pollute with bombs” Posing with McGovern supporters and supporting the Writer’s Strike. Images from his photography books include Shekhina ‘linking arms’ with The Satyr from Secret Selves. A 1978 poster from his lecture series ‘Mr. Spock and I’ (where I first saw him), and a couple images from that event. A row of theater moments with himself as Theo from Vincent in the 70s, and my photos from 2013 at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater in NYC discussing Vincent. (what a joy). As a toddler, a very early publicity photo, and performing at the Pasedena Playhouse. Further down left, Young Mr. Nimoy with his parents, in High School, his Wedding to Sandra Zober, in the Army, Publicity still and poster image from Zombies from the Stratosphire, and family life with lots of love and dogs (more of this later). Detail # 3 That Plaid Blazer and the Fan Girls. A cornerstone of Leonard’s wardrobe in the 70s was his beloved beige plaid blazer, worn here in everything from an early interview, through In Search of, Baffled!, public appearances and in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Pat Boone’s hat too! And even after Star Trek was canceled, Cleveland Amory’s article wondered why women were ‘spaced out’ over Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy modestly describes Spock as tall, dark, alien, and exotic, with a brilliant mind and “Oh, so cool!”. But we know better, right? He got lots of love from his fans too, (from beauty queens to Playboy Bunnies) and never denied them their chance to say hello or even a hug. I included my lucky self among the fan pictures, as well as Louise Stange (his fan club president) Theresa Victor (his ‘Girl Friday), and my friends Bobbie and Linda. 🙂 I wonder who the 8 Lucky Ladies were who got to have Breakfast with Mr. Spock? I like to think women drove Trek fandom in the first place (e.g. Bjo Trimble, and fanzines like Spock Enslaved. Some prime examples of Spock/Nimoy canoodling here!Detail #4 The Nimoy Kick Line. I had so many full length images of Leonard that it only seemed fair to give him a “Kick Line” (think Rockettes). The idea began with gun-belted Nimoy as a sheriff in The Virginian which naturally followed with Spock in a gun-belt in Spectre of the Gun. Three chilly Leonards in Patterns of Force, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and The Balcony, and so on with Spock, Paris, that amazing denim patchwork suit, bumping with Flip Wilson, Catlow, etc. You’ll see Dr. Mayfield giving Columbo a copy of I Am Not Spock and just above that, the same two actors in The Balcony.Detail #5 Westerns, Family, Community, and Pets. BeforeTrek, Leonard made much of his bread and butter with TV Westerns and I found seven samples of him as a Native American, plus a couple of cowboys as well as all types of bad guys. But it all supported his family which made it all worth it. In this time his love of photography flourished, as well as pets. (Brunsie, Max, more) You see Adam and Julie grow from little ones to caring adults. And you see ‘Poppi’ with his grand and great-grandkids, as well as with everyday folk at telethons,political events, reading programs and ALS benefits. As Leonard wrote, “The miracle is this; the more we share, the more we have.”Detail #6 We’ll Always Have Paris and Who’s in that Limo? Beyond Star Trek, Leonard found successful work on Mission: Impossible and so much more. I’d say that of all the Trek ensemble in the 70’s, Leonard was the most active. You can see him here with the cast of M:I and some prime Paris moments. He did Game and Variety shows. Yet through the rest of his life, Spock was never far behind, like those guys in the backseat of the Bangles limo here. Despite some initial trepidation, he embraced Spock and was grateful how that character led him to his dreams of photography and directing. From In Search Of to Three Men and a Baby, he kept on going, making many friends along the way. Detail # 7 Golden Throat. Leonard engaging in his recording days, hence the Golden Throat. and animated Spock comforts crying Spock: “Hey, the albums weren’t that bad…” I threw a lot of similar themed pictures here, both as Spock and in real life. It wasn’t always easy, I’m sure it got tiring. But you could see the love in all he did. See several images of Nimoy just looking great, and four images of Leonard all looking up to their left. Bottom right Dr. McCoy and Spock with dear friends De Kelley and Leonard in front of them. Detail #8 He Lived Long and Prospered in Life’s Garden. What better way to make a ‘finale’ to this piece than with a forest of “Live Long and Prospers”? The now iconic trademark gesture reminds us all to live our best lives, in the moment, in the world, with each other (it even helps us greet friends in the pandemic!) You’ll see Leonard with his sweet Buick Riviera, with his Piper airplane, with his wife Susan Bay and his Star Trek Friends. He passes the Vulcan greeting with grace and love for over 4 decades, beginning with its first appearance in Amok Time, to endless personal appearances, the double blessings at Conventions and in synagogue. In the center above his famous final quote, Leonard sends out a big hug. Near Leonard’s grave plaque, you see Spock nearing his death, but the memories and spirit go on. You can see an artist’s conception of the Live Long and Prosper statue that is being planned for the Boston Museum of Science.
Bonus Pop Culture and Silly Details: Spock and Nimoy inspired a LOT of pop culture. See if you can find all of these:
Funko Spock Figure in original uniform
Funko Spock holding Isis the Cat
Funko Dorbz Spock
Four Al Hirshfeld drawings featuring Leonard as Spock and himself. (Colorized by me!)
A “Trekkie on Board” sign
Animated Leonard with Spock Ears on Animaniacs
Leonard, in a Spock uniform fighting Bender on Futurama
Real life Leonard holding animated Leonard’s ‘head’ from Futurama
Leonard on The Simpsons
Working Daze cartoon featuring a tribute to Leonard shortly after he died.
The Nimoy Boar from Battle Cats
Mego Spock Doll
Mego Mirror Mirror Spock Doll
Mattel Spock Doll
Yellow Spock Stamp
A Spock Nutcracker
Calvin and Hobbes dressed as Kirk and Spock
Family Guy Spock
Squidward as Spock (aka Spockward, by Therese Bohn, 2012)
Mad Magazine, The Mad Star Trek Musical
A Dachshund figure dressed like Spock with “Live Really Long and Prosper” on its uniform shirt
(Be sure to click on the link to see it in full size)
As you may know, I’ve been working on this collage for quite a while now, and whoa, I am spent! But working on this has been worth every moment, and even though we are past what would have been his 90th Birthday, I think this speaks well for the incredible life Leonard Nimoy lead!
I really didn’t think it would take nearly four months to complete this, as my Shatner Birthday Tribute only took about two weeks to make. But this was different; Nimoy’s life was so active and diverse, like an octopus with a three dozen tentacles, the more I researched pictures to use, the bigger and bigger it got!
I like to tell stories with my collages as opposed to just slapping random pictures together. And Nimoy’s life tells quite the tale.
It seemed easy enough to start with the basics, family, early career, StarTrek, and hobbies. But I found myself getting new ideas with every new picture I’d find. (e.g., There would be a picture of him in real life that correlated with a role he had on screen, or similar candid poses, or a particular laugh). Then there were his public appearances, promotions, conventions, charities, bloopers and of course dozens of images of him giving the Vulcan Peace Sign. So many I had never seen before, and I added some from my own personal collection as well (and some of m They all twirled together in my mind as well as my poor computer. Lots and LOTS of editing, from cropping and color balance, to making a 3D-ish banner and stacking pictures so they’d meld and compliment each other, as well as making ‘mini-collages’ to complete portions.
And then the ultimate choices, which pictures should I use? I think I found a lot of Spock/Nimoy greatest hits. Often I’d think “Oh I have to use that one!” and sometimes “How could I have forgotten that one?” Indeed, just as I proofed the final piece before publishing this here, I found a theater reference lacking that I know was very special to Mr. Nimoy, and I’m glad I caught and added it before posting it here!
You will find a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor throughout too; Spock as a hood ornament? Nimoy getting ‘pinched’? Who’s in the back of that limousine? You might need a magnifying glass to see some tiny details, but it’ll be fun 😉 Like I said, the ideas kept coming. I might have to start a business of memorial collages; I love making these.
As ever, you are welcome to share this, just please don’t edit it in any way. I make no money on this, it is for pure fun and enjoyment. Thank you my friends, Therese 🙂 ❤
Well, I’ve been working on this a while now–and I appreciate your patience! It’s the collage I was making to commemorate Leonard’s 90th Birthday — Maybe I should just call it a BirthYear Anniversary! Ah well, he would have been 90 all year!
When I started it in mid February, I didn’t think it would take too long — but no!
I had finished my Shatner 90th collage, and started making this one on my same ancient format (don’t laugh-much) Printmaster 16 from 2010! Well, suffice to say, that program, though easy to use, was getting overwhelmed by the 100+ photos I was using here and it kept crashing! It wouldn’t let me transfer the image to another file so i could finish it properly, so I decided I’d have to start ALL OVER AGAIN! (Time to ditch that program)
But it was worth it — Photoshop to the rescue. Not only am I learning better as I go but I’m also editing my overzealous use of too many photos! And yes, there are SO MANY wonderful pics of my subject matter, it’s a little hard to choose what to edit, but it’s worth it. Also, in the original, the various pics didn’t always work together, and I like to tell a little story in my collages. It’s gelling up nicely. 🙂 Here’s a little portion celebrating Leonard’s favorite plaid jacket!
Sooo, if you can all hang on a little longer, I hope to have this up soon!
Gee, making my 90 Birthday Tribute to Mr. Nimoy is taking longer than I thought! I’m still combing through and choosing a million images to format into the piece! So many good pictures, and I find it a bit harder to get it all together. Maybe this is because I think I’m more emotionally invested in Mr. Nimoy that I ever was in Shatner. you know? Patience my friends!
Hope you’re al having a lovely spring week and getting some fresh air! Oh how I love Spring!
Spring is a time of rebirth and reflection. Yet, as I turn 60 at the end of this month, that milestone surely puts one’s time into perspective. As Michelangelo said “There is no greater harm than that of time wasted.”
Scanning the many images of Mr. Nimoy I’ve found, I can see that he nary let a moment go by wasted. Cliche as it may seem, life does seem to pass ever faster for me now. Just when I was getting used to being in my 50s too! I try to make my days useful and active, and I am determined to never take my health for granted. Speaking of which…
As I mentioned recently, I had taken an awful fall a few weeks ago, on Palm Sunday. And as I am pushing this birth milestone, it put me in mind of my own mortality. Here’s what happened:
I had been taking a lovely walk around town, taking lots of pictures of local sites and the industrial area around the old IBM complex here in Endicott NY. But only blocks from home my toe just hit some raised sidewalk and I could see myself falling in slow-motion. Tried to catch myself but to no use, and at the last second, my left temple hit the cement pavement. (Damn!) I rolled onto my back to catch my breath.
Thankfully, I was conscious throughout the whole ordeal, and, as good people are, within minutes two wonderful young men pulled over and helped me through the scary moments. There was Joey, who called my home, and Kyle, who had been in the military and knew all the right questions to ask and advice on what to watch for in the next 24 hours. So thankful for my ‘street angels’. They kept me calm until my family arrived.
An amazing ‘goose-egg’ evolved on my temple within minutes. About two inches big. My son drove me home to wash up then straight to the walk-in which was pretty much empty because of Covid. I had been wearing my mask the whole time, and had had my second vaccination a few weeks earlier, so I wasn’t too concerned. The fact that I was awake through the whole ordeal assured me that I didn’t have a concussion, which was the greatest of my fears. The goose egg lessened over the next few days, but boy, did I have a big purple-donut black eye that lasted just over two weeks. There’s just a tiny black and blue left as I write this; isn’t the human body grand?
The Amazing Goose-Egg
My Street Angels, Kyle and Joey
My darling son ready to take me home
As many of you know, I am not a constant blogger here; I usually post 3-4 times a month or less. I like posting about old Trek, making funny collages,and such. In many ways, my art and collages are a bit of a catharsis for me; they make me happy and if I make you smile, that’s good for me! I’ll be posting other interests too, like Old Movies, Costumes, Photography, Crafting, Some Pop Culture, and Travel. Not to mention a good book or two!
I hope I’m lucky to be around in 30 years when I hit 90! Sadly, Mr. Nimoy was taken too soon, but a life well lived carries on in hearts around the world. Meanwhile Shatner seems to be aging in reverse and I have to commend him for being one of the strongest Nonagenarians I know of; as well as beloved David Frankham! (95!)
So while I assemble my Nimoy collage, you may see things here off and on that have nothing to do with Trek, but hey, variety is the spice of Life! I’ll be posting those pre-stumble and fall pictures here shortly. Love to all, Therese. xo
TrekkerScrapbook 