Leo Dillon (March 2, 1933 – May 26, 2012) and Diane Dillon (''née'' Sorber; born March 13, 1933) were
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...
s of
children's books
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
covers. One obituary of Leo called the work of the husband-and-wife team "a seamless amalgam of both their hands". In more than 50 years, they created more than 100
speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nat ...
book and magazine covers together as well as much interior artwork. Essentially all of their work in that field was joint.
The Dillons won the
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...
in 1976 and 1977, the only consecutive awards of the honor. In 1978 they were runners-up for the
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
for children's illustrators; they were the U.S. nominee again in 1996.
Biography
Leo Dillon, of
Trinidadian
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
immigrant parentage, was born and raised in
East New York
East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough li ...
. He enlisted in the Navy for three years' service so that he could attend art school. He credited his interest in art and his inspiration to become an artist to his friend and mentor, Ralph Volman. Diane Sorber hails from the
Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino ...
where her interest in art was encouraged early by her mother, who was a pianist. The couple met at the
Parsons School of Design
Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...
in New York City in 1953 — where they "became instant archrivals and remained together from then on". They graduated in 1956 and married the next year. This union resulted in an artistic collaboration, which the couple described as a third artist. Diane Dillon explained this in an interview through these words: “We could look at ourselves as one artist rather than two individuals, and that third artist was doing something neither one of us would do. We let it flow the way it flows when an artist is working by themselves and a color goes down that they didn’t quite expect and that affects the next colors they use, and it seems to have a life of its own.”
An association with writer
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
led to jobs doing book covers for his short story collections and both cover and interior
woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas tha ...
illustration for his anthology ''
Dangerous Visions
''Dangerous Visions'' is a science fiction short story anthology edited by American writer Harlan Ellison and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was published in 1967.
A path-breaking collection, ''Dangerous Visions'' helped define the Ne ...
''. They illustrated a large number of
mass market paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...
book covers for the original Ace Science Fiction Specials, for which they won their first major award, science fiction's 1971
Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
for Best Professional Artist. A detailed biography and introduction to their work and styles were written by
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...
two days prior. Spectrum Fantastic Art, an annual art competition and art book project of which the couple were general managers, confirmed Leo's death on its website. The obituary of Leo in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' praised the Dillons jointly as "one of the world's pre-eminent illustrators for young people, producing artwork — praised for its vibrancy, ecumenicalism and sheer sumptuous beauty — that was a seamless amalgam of both their hands", also noting the ethnoracial diversity of characters in the Dillons' work in the 1970s, "until then, the smiling faces portrayed in picture books had been overwhelmingly white."
The Dillons had one surviving son. Lee (Lionel John Dillon III), born 1965, became an artist and collaborated with his parents several times, including the illustrations for ''Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch'' by Nancy Willard (1991). Both Leo and Diane lived in the Cobble Hill neighborhood at the time of Leo's death.
Picture books illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
*1970 ''The Ring in the Prairie'', written by John Bierhorst /
Dial Press
The Dial Press was a publishing house founded in 1923 by Lincoln MacVeagh.
The Dial Press shared a building with '' The Dial'' and Scofield Thayer worked with both. The first imprint was issued in 1924.
Authors included Elizabeth Bowen, W. ...
*1972 ''Honey, I Love'',
Eloise Greenfield
Eloise Greenfield (May 17, 1929 – August 5, 2021) was an American children's book and biography author and poet famous for her descriptive, rhythmic style and positive portrayal of the African-American experience.
After college, Greenfield bega ...
/ Viking
*1973 ''Blast Off'', Linda C. Cain and Susan Rosenbaum / Xerox
*1974 ''Whirlwind Is a Ghost Dancing'', compiled by Natalia Maree Belting / Dutton
*1974 ''Songs and Stories from Uganda'', W. Moses Serwadda,
Hewitt Pantaleoni Hewitt Pantaleoni (March 22, 1929 – October 17, 1988) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his work on African music.
Pantaleoni was born in New York, the son of Guido Pantaleoni Jr., born in Missouri to an Italian immigrant father, ...
/ World Music Press
*1974 ''The Third Gift'', Jan R. Carew / Little Brown
*1975 ''The Hundred Penny Box'', Sharon Bell Mathis / Viking
*1975 ''Song of the Boat'', Lorenz B. Graham / Crowell
*1976 '' Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears'', Verna Aardema / Dial Press
*1977 '' Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions'', Margaret Musgrove / Dial Press
*1977 ''Who's in Rabbit's House: A Masai Tale'', Verna Aardema / Dial Press
*1980 ''Two Pair of Shoes'', P. L. Travers / Viking Press
*1980 ''Children of the Sun'', Jan R. Carew / Little Brown
*1985 ''Brother to the Wind'', Mildred Pitts Walter / Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
*1986 ''
All in a Day
''All in a Day'' is a 1986 children's picture book written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno. It features illustrations by Anno and several other internationally known illustrators: Eric Carle, Raymond Briggs, Nicolai Ye. Popov, Akiko Hayash ...
'',
Mitsumasa Anno
was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature."
Life
Ann ...
and
Raymond Briggs
Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...
/ Hamish Hamilton (London) (Translation of: ''Marui chiky¯u no maru ichinichi''.) —illustrations by 10 artists, including the Dillons
*1987 ''The Porcelain Cat'',
Michael Patrick Hearn
Michael Patrick Hearn is an American literary scholar as well as a man of letters specializing in children's literature and its illustration. His works include ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz'' (1973/2000), '' The Annotated Christmas Carol'' (1977/20 ...
/ Little Brown
*1989 ''The Color Wizard'', Barbara Brenner / Bantam Little Rooster
*1990 ''The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks'', Katherine Paterson / Lodestar
*1990 ''Aïda'',
Leontyne Price
Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...
/ Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
*1991 ''The Race of the Golden Apples'', Claire Martin / Dial Books for Young Readers
*1991 ''Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch'', Nancy Willard / Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
*1992 ''Northern Lullaby'', Nancy White Carlstrom / Putnam
*1992 ''Switch on the Night'',
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and ...
/ Knopf
*1993 ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'', Nancy Willard / Scholastic/Blue Sky Press
*1994 ''What Am I?'', N. N. Charles / Scholastic/Blue Sky Press
*1997 ''To Everything There is a Season'', the Dillons / Scholastic/Blue Sky Press
*1999 ''Wind Child'', Shirley Rousseau Murphy / HarperCollins
*2000 ''Switch on the Night'',
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and ...
/ Knopf (reissue)
*2000 ''The Girl Who Spun Gold'', Virginia Hamilton / Scholastic/Blue Sky Press
*2001 ''Two Little Trains'',
Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including '' Goodnight Moon'' and '' The Runaway Bunny'', both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She has been called "the laureate of the nursery" fo ...
/ HarperCollins
*2002 ''Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles—Think of That'', written and illustrated by the Dillons / Scholastic/Blue Sky Press
*2003 ''One Winter's Night'', John Herman / Philomel
*2004 ''Where Have You Been?'', Margaret Wise Brown / HarperCollins
*2005 ''The People Could Fly'' - The Picture Book
*2005 ''Earth Mother'', Ellen B. Jackson / Walker & Company
*2006 ''Whirlwind is a Spirit Dancing'', Natalia Maree Belting and
Joseph Bruchac
Joseph Bruchac (born October 16, 1942) is an American writer and storyteller based in New York.
He writes about Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He ...
The Secret River
''The Secret River'' is a 2005 historical novel by Kate Grenville about an early 19th-century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what might have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aborigi ...
'',
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953) accessed December 8, 2014. was an
/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers (reissue)
*2009 ''Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons''
Picture books illustrated only by Diane Dillon
*2018 ''I Can Be Anything! Don’t Tell Me I Can’t''
Chapter books illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
*1962 ''
Mother Night
''Mother Night'' is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in February 1962. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's ''Faust'' (and ultimately from the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, mother of Osiris, Horus, Isis, Set, and Nepht ...
H. M. Tomlinson
Henry Major Tomlinson (21 June 1873 – 5 February 1958) was a British writer and journalist. He was known for anti-war and travel writing, novels and short stories, especially of life at sea. He was born and died in London.
Life
Tomlinson was ...
The Preserving Machine
''The Preserving Machine'' is a collection of science fiction stories by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Ace Books in 1969 with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon as part of their Ace Science Fiction Specials series. Th ...
The Search
''The Search'' is a 1948 American film directed by Fred Zinnemann that tells the story of a young Auschwitz survivor and his mother who search for each other across post-World War II Europe. It stars Montgomery Clift, Ivan Jandl, Jarmila Novotn ...
A Wrinkle In Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for ...
'',
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle DStJ (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including '' A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: ''A Wind in the Door'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Plan ...
Monica Furlong
Monica Furlong (17 January 1930 – 14 January 2003) was a British author, journalist, and activist. She was born at Kenton near Harrow, north-west of London and died at Umberleigh in Devon. An obituary called her the Church of England's ...
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (August 16, 1914—March 1, 2000) was an American people, American writer of children's literature, children's picture books.
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and studied social work administ ...
/ Scholastic — illustrated by many artists
*1989 '' Moses' Ark'',
Alice Bach
Alice Bach (born 6 April 1942) is an American feminist biblical scholar. She is Archbishop Hallinan Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Case Western Reserve University.
Biography
Alice Bach was born 6 April 1942, in New York City.
She stud ...
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...
'',
Monica Furlong
Monica Furlong (17 January 1930 – 14 January 2003) was a British author, journalist, and activist. She was born at Kenton near Harrow, north-west of London and died at Umberleigh in Devon. An obituary called her the Church of England's ...
Sabriel
''Sabriel'' is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 1995. It is the first in his Old Kingdom series, followed by '' Lirael'', '' Abhorsen'', '' Clariel'', '' Goldenhand,'' and ''Terciel and Elinor''.
Plot introduction
The novel is ...
'',
Garth Nix
Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the '' Old Kingdom'', '' Seventh Tower'' and '' Keys to the Kingdom'' series. He has frequently been asked if hi ...
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne.
The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...
'',
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
/ HarperCollins (reissue)
*2001 ''
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa ( ar, منسا موسى, Mansā Mūsā; ) was the ninth ''mansa'' of the Mali Empire, which reached its territorial peak during his reign. Musa is known for his wealth and generosity. He has been subject to popular claims that he is ...
Lirael
''Lirael'' (called ''Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr'' in some regions) is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 2001. Named for its central female character, ''Lirael'' is the second in his Old Kingdom trilogy, preceded by ''Sabriel'' ...
'',
Garth Nix
Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the '' Old Kingdom'', '' Seventh Tower'' and '' Keys to the Kingdom'' series. He has frequently been asked if hi ...
/ HarperCollins
*2003 ''
Abhorsen
''Abhorsen'' is a fantasy novel by Australian writer Garth Nix, first published in 2003. It is the third book in the Old Kingdom series (following ''Sabriel'' and '' Lirael'').
''Abhorsen'' features Lirael, who is the recently revealed Abhorsen-i ...
Monica Furlong
Monica Furlong (17 January 1930 – 14 January 2003) was a British author, journalist, and activist. She was born at Kenton near Harrow, north-west of London and died at Umberleigh in Devon. An obituary called her the Church of England's ...
/ Random House
Awards
*1971
Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist
The Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist is given each year for artists of works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. The award has been given annually under several names since 1955, with the except ...
*1976
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...
–
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
– ''
Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears
''Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale'' is a 1975 children's picture book by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Published in hardcover by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, ...
'' by Verna Aardema
*1977
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
(body of work, children's book illustration)
*198 Balrog Award For Lifetime Contribution To Science Fiction/Fantasy
*1982 Art Ninth Annual Lensman Award
*1986 Coretta Scott King Award illustrator honor
*1988 Third Annual
Keene State College
Keene State College is a public liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college (originally, Keene Norm ...
Children's Literature Festival Award
*1991 Doctorate Of Fine Art Degree – Parsons School Of Design
*1992 Empire State Award For Children's And Adult Literature For Body Of Work
*1992
Society Of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition.
History
Founding
The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...
Gold Medal For Northern Lullaby From The Original Art Show Of Children's Picture Books
*1996 U.S. nominee as a duo, Hans Christian Andersen Award (body of work, children's book illustration)
*1997 Chesley Award For Best Science Fiction Hardcover Jacket Titled Sabriel
*1997 The Grand Masters Award - For Body Of Work - From '' Spectrum - The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art''
*1997
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition.
History
Founding
The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...
Hall Of Fame - Inducted By A Jury of Peers
*2002 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award - For Body Of Work
*200 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor For ''Rap A Tap Tap Here's Bojangles-Think Of That''
*200 - For ''The People Could Fly-The Picture Book''
*200 Knickerbocker Award - For Body Of Work -
New York Library Association
The New York Library Association (NYLA) is a group that promotes libraries in New York. It was founded in 1890 and was the first statewide organization of librarians in the United States. One of its founders was Melvil Dewey, who has had a last ...
World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event. Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an ...
Life Achievement Award
*2012 BolognaRagazzi Award - Fiction Honorable Mention - ''The Secret River''
Notes
References
Further reading
*Borea, P., & J. Janow. "Leo and Diane Dillon." ''Communication Arts Magazine'' 25: pp. 42–51, May/June 1983.
*Brodie, Carolyn S. "Creators of Magic on Paper: Leo and Diane Dillon," ''School Library Media Activities Monthly'' 15(6): pp. 46–48, February 1999.
*Cooper, Ilene. "The Walk of Life." ''Booklist'' 95(3): pp. 344–347, October 1, 1998.
*Davies, Anne. "Talking with Leo & Diane Dillon", ''Book Links'' 14(3): pp. 45–48, 2005.
*Davis, SE. "One + One = Three." ''Step-By-Step Graphics'' 13: pp. 30–41, 1997.
*Deines, Ryah. "An Interview with Leo & Diane Dillon," World Fantasy Convention (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). ''Mystery in Fantasy & Horror'' ( Souvenir Program), pp. 68–71, 2008.
*Haber, Karen. "Leo & Diane Dillon: The Third Artist Rules", ''Locus'' 44(4), n471: pp. 4–5, 67–70, 2000.
*Preiss, Byron, ed. ''The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon''. New York: Ballantine Books, Trade Paperback, Hardcover and Collectors Limited Edition, Fall 1981.
*Reichardt, Randy. "Tribute to Leo & Diane Dillon," World Fantasy Convention (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). ''Mystery in Fantasy & Horror'' (Souvenir Program), pp. 45–46, 2008.
*Wills, F. H. "Leo und Diane Dillon," New York: grafik fur popular-wissenschaftliche werke . ''Novum Gebrauchsgraphik'', pp. 50–56, March 1968.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...