Background
Diane Claire Sorber Dillon was born on March 13, 1933, in Glendale, California, United States; the daughter of Adelbert Paul and Phyllis Mabel (Worsley) Sorber.
855 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029, United States
Dillon attended Los Angeles City College.
815 N Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, United States
Dillon attended Skidmore College.
66 5th Ave, New York, NY 10011, United States
Dillon studied at the Parsons School of Design.
209 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010, United States
Dillon studied at School of Visual Arts.
Leo and Diane Dillon
The Dillons in 1976. Photograph by Terry Langendeon.
(The strikingly original and memorable illustrations of Le...)
The strikingly original and memorable illustrations of Leo and Diane Dillon have delighted and amazed us for more than forty years. Now this magnificent volume collects many of their best works for the first time and provides a magical tour into the studio and the imagination of America's most popular illustrator team.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Leo-Diane-Dillon/dp/0345284496/?tag=2022091-20
1981
(Here is an imaginative tale about the unconventional fift...)
Here is an imaginative tale about the unconventional fifteenth-century Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch, as told by his wildly dissatisfied housekeeper. Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon and their son, Lee, depict a most unusual household filled with pickle-winged fish, flying furniture, and other bizarre delights.
https://www.amazon.com/Pish-Posh-Said-Hieronymus-Bosch/dp/0152622101/?tag=2022091-20
1991
(The Dillons capitalized on the myriad of animals in the s...)
The Dillons capitalized on the myriad of animals in the story and used bold, colorful illustrations for their drawings that look almost like cut puzzle pieces.
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Mosquitoes-Buzz-Peoples-Ears/dp/0140549056/?tag=2022091-20
1992
(Ashanti to Zulu is an alphabet picture book with twenty-s...)
Ashanti to Zulu is an alphabet picture book with twenty-six different African tribes representing each of the letters of the alphabet. Each page gives a bit of information on a custom that is special to that tribe. The Dillons’ illustrations for the book give a realistic picture of each tribe. The Dillons tried to include historically correct drawings of the people and their native surroundings.
https://www.amazon.com/Ashanti-Zulu-African-Traditions-Picture/dp/0140546049/?tag=2022091-20
1992
(In their fortieth picture book, two Caldecott Medalists b...)
In their fortieth picture book, two Caldecott Medalists bring to vivid life the most famous verses from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes through imaginative paintings reflecting the world's various cultures, accompanied by a full-color explanatory glossary.
https://www.amazon.com/Every-Thing-There-Season/dp/0590478877/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Caldecott Award-winner Diane Dillon has created a winning...)
Caldecott Award-winner Diane Dillon has created a winning character who defies anything to hold her back from achieving her goals. And the key to Zoe's future success begins when Zoe defiantly opens her book, making it clear that both confidence and reading are tools we all need to make our dreams come true.
https://www.amazon.com/Can-Anything-Dont-Tell-Cant/dp/1338166905/?tag=2022091-20
Diane Claire Sorber Dillon was born on March 13, 1933, in Glendale, California, United States; the daughter of Adelbert Paul and Phyllis Mabel (Worsley) Sorber.
Dillon's parents tried to nurture the artistic talent that Dillon showed, even at an early age, but she never really had any formal training. After high school, Dillon attended Los Angeles City College but had to quit after she contracted tuberculosis. After spending a year in a sanitarium recuperating, she enrolled at Skidmore College. She transferred to the Parsons School of Design after a professor at Skidmore advised her that her artistic talents would be better honed elsewhere.
For most of her career Diane and her husband, Leo, worked out of a studio in their Brooklyn brownstone. They began producing published works in 1957. In 1970, they produced their first co-authored picture book, an illustrated Native American tale called The Ring and the Prairie, written by John Bierhorst. Their range also included African folk tales, Scandinavian epics, fantasy, fiction, and science fiction. They chose their subject matter with intention, selecting books with a spiritualist quality and messages about acceptance and individuality.
By the time Diane and Leo illustrated Madeleine L’Engle’s 1979 book, A Wrinkle in Time, they were already well-known for their incredible range. In addition to children’s books, the couple was illustrating chapter books, prints, posters, book jackets, album covers, textbooks, and more. They would continue through the ’80s and ’90s to amass a prolific portfolio of vibrant work with astounding attention to detail and innovative use of color that was as diverse as the subject matter.
In 2002, Diane and Leo became writers themselves when they co-authored and illustrated Rap a Tap Tap: Here’s Bojangles—Think of That. They would continue to write more, including the popular children’s book, Jazz on a Saturday Night, published in 2007. By 2008 the couple had worked together for over 40 years and produced more than 50 children’s books.
After Leo’s death, Diane completed a book the couple was working on before Leo died called If Kids Ran the World, and is currently working on a new picture book, which she also wrote. She continues to explore her personal art and practice their lifelong motto, “Make life an art.”
(In their fortieth picture book, two Caldecott Medalists b...)
1998(The Dillons capitalized on the myriad of animals in the s...)
1992(Here is an imaginative tale about the unconventional fift...)
1991(Ashanti to Zulu is an alphabet picture book with twenty-s...)
1992(The strikingly original and memorable illustrations of Le...)
1981(Caldecott Award-winner Diane Dillon has created a winning...)
(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
1995(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
2002(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
2009(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
1993(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
1988(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
2004(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
1975(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
1993(illustrations by Diane and Leo Dillon)
2005(Spider (Cricket) Magazine cover by Leo and Diane Dillon)
(paperback cover by Leo and Diane Dillon)
(paperback cover by Leo and Diane Dillon)
(paperback cover by Leo and Diane Dillon)
(paperback cover by Leo and Diane Dillon)
(paperback cover)
1968
Quotations:
“Together we are able to create art that we would not be able to do individually.”
“Working as a team with your husband, communication can be challenging. Although we were agreeing, we were each picturing something in our heads that could be quite different. We learned to sit together at the table and draw sketches to clarify what we were thinking.”
“The Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements played a role in shaping our ideals. I would also include our son Lee as a huge influence on our lives.”
Dillon was president of the Society of Illustrators from 1987 to 1989 and president of the Graphic Artists Guild from 1981 to 1983.
Diane married Leo Dillon, an artist and illustrator, on March 17, 1957. Their son, Lee, was born in 1965 and would follow in their footsteps to become a celebrated painter, sculptor, and craftsman.