Illustration has lost another giant. Leo Dillon, husband and life-long collaborator of Diane Dillon, passed away on May 26th. Together they created a remarkable array children’s books and book covers.
While their style could change to meet the needs of any project, you can always recognize a Leo and Diane Dillon painting by its exquisite sense of design and decorative qualities, and the joy of celebrating all races and cultures. They have stated, “We all have a lot in common. It is our beliefs that divide us. We have little control over what life brings us but we can change our thoughts.”
They have won Caldecott medals, Coretta Scott King Awards, Society of Illustrators medals, and countless other recognitions for picture books. They may, however, be better known to Tor.com readers for having put a face to the New Wave of sf/f fiction in the 60s and 70s. The Dillons created many covers for Harlan Ellison and for the Ace Specials under Terry Carr. Their association with science fiction remained strong throughout their career and garnered them both a Hugo and a Spectrum Grand Masters medal.
Our thoughts are with Diane Dillon and their family and friends. Leo and Diane once stated, “Art in its many forms has survived to inform us of lives long gone. Art inspires, lifts our spirits, and brings beauty to our lives. We wish to pay homage to it and the people who created it.” The Dillons have, unquestionably lifted the spirits and inspired generations of people, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
(Samples of the Dillons’s work below....)
Irene Gallo’s gateway to sf/f was hunting down the Dillon covers to Harlan Ellison books. She will always remember her brief meeting with them at the Spectrum Exhibition.
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I'm kicking myself for not talking to them more at that first Spectrum Exhibition but I'm glad I at least had a brief opportunity to tell them how much their work means to me. He seemed a delight.
Greg Manchess went over to their house to pick up artwork once (the first time they had ever met.) Leo was fasicnated by an old cistern he had just dug up in the basement. He took Greg down to invesitage. I kinda love the idea of this titan of illustration being so curious about something so mundane. The way Greg tells it, it sounded like two 10-yr-old's on an adventure.
I was introduced to this couple with an interview at the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2226) blog - their artwork is incredible. I very much appreciate the emphasis on the art of SFF. Thank you for sharing this.
I feel lucky that I've known about them for a long time now, and have gotten a chance to watch over time how they've developed and pushed both the sensibility and technique of the art of illustration. Their work gave me the sense, even more than most artists, that they were exploring a new world of color and form that gave them great joy, and bringing back their discoveries to enchant the rest of us.
My heart and my thoughts go out to Diane and all of Leo's family and friends. I know that this must be an exceptionally hard blow for Diane, to lose someone who was a partner in so many different ways.
I don't think I have Diane's email, Irene. If you wouldn't mind.
xxxJane
Our community have all benefitted from the Dillons' warmth, their wit, their intellect, and of course their unforgettable art. Needless to say, Leo will be deeply missed. My sincerest condolences to Diane, their son Lee, to all their family and to their many friends.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Irene.
He and his wife Diane Dillon changed my life. Back in the 60s and early 70s, I noticed and bought a striking new line of paperbacks that all had the Dillons' beautiful, intelligent, dignified covers. After a while I realized that all the books with their covers were good, and then noticed that they were all edited by Terry Carr. That was how I found out that there's such a thing as a science fiction book editor.
It's a nontrivial thing to create book covers that make people want to pick up books and read them.
The Ace Specials weren't the only books I've bought because Leo Dillon was one of the cover artists. I've acquired a number of them over the years. It's a sure thing: they do tend to be good books, and the cover is worth the price all by itself.
For many years now I've coveted a poster in David Hartwell's basement which Leo and Diane Dillon produced for the opening of an avant-garde NYC coffee house. It's still the only piece of luminously serene urban post-apocalyptic art I've ever seen.
Words are never sufficient, but his art is still with us. If you're not familiar with it, go have a look.
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A few more favorites:
endpaper art, Ashanti to Zulu
cover art, The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain
cover art, John Brunner's The Traveler in Black
wraparound cover art, Harlan Ellison's Deathbird Stories
cover, Avram Davidson's The Phoenix in the Mirror
cover, John T. Sladek's Mechasm
When I reprinted Keith Roberts' "Pavane" there was no question as to what the cover art would be.
The ability to do this as a union has so much to do with their innate and empathetic knowledge, and their generosity as independent thinkers.
Both Diane and Leo have expressed this consistantly in their life work, opening many portals, parting many clouds. I trust that death too is a veil and I expect that Leo will succeed in lifting that one as well to receive the fullest embrace of the light.
If you do not know the work of these two individuals, you should.
Leo Dillon and for displaying his artwork. With most of our media today talentless folks from "reality shows" seem to garner way too much media attention, while talented artists like Dillon get little or no mention. Your efforts are the exception to that rule, and are a ray of bright light in an otherwise dark landscape. Thanks so much.