Maurice Sendak, the inspired children’s book illustrator who showed us Where the Wild Things Are, died this morning in Danbury, Conn., from complications of a stroke. He was 83.

Seattle has enjoyed its own touch of Sendak for nearly 30 years, every time his Nutcracker takes the stage at McCaw Hall. In 1983, while collaborating with Pacific Northwest Ballet’s then-artistic director Kent Stowell, Sendak created a new kind of dreamworld for Clara that seemed ripped from one of his own children’s books. The sets and costumes were—still are—works of art, colorfully chaotic with oversized dancing mice and tigers, and the Boeing-engineered Christmas tree that doubles in size, from 14 to 28 feet, during the show. It’s my favorite part of the Nutcracker, and what keeps me going back.

"Many at PNB remember working side by side with Maurice while he discovered the world of ballet and we discovered the alchemy of magic and wonder," PNB artistic director Peter Boal said in a statement today (via The Seattle Times). "We will proudly dedicate this year’s Nutcracker to Maurice Sendak, an artist who taught us to dream in color."

If you haven’t seen the Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker yet, view the slideshow to see what the ‘author of splendid nightmares’ created. I also highly recommend this 2011 NPR interview with Sendak, which gets at the curmudgeon behind Max, Pierre ("I don’t care!"), and Bumble-ardy.

RIP Maurice.

All photos courtesy Pacific Northwest Ballet.