David Diaz has illustrated
numerous award-winning books for children,including Eve Bunting’s Going Home; as well as
Newbery Honor winner, The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech. Mr. Diaz was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1995 for his work in Smoky Night by Eve Bunting, and his colorful illustrations in Margaret Wise Brown’s The Little Scarecrow Boy lead to the book being named the New York Times Best Illustrated Book for 1998. Most recently, Mr. Diaz has teamed up with renowned author Joyce Carol Thomas, creating vibrant illustrations for The Gospel Cinderella, a soulful retelling of the classic Cinderella story.
In addition to his career in children’s books, Mr. Diaz has been an illustrator and graphic designer for more than twenty-five years. His bold, stylized work has appeared in
editorials for national publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post,
Business Week and The Atlantic Monthly. His distinct talents have also garnered him a variety of commercial clients including Perrier, American Express, Warner Bros., Pepsi Cola, and the 1996 Olympics. Besides being an illustrator and graphic designer, David Diaz is also a painter and an accomplished ceramic artist. A one man show of his illustrations, fine art paintings and ceramics is currently touring the country. To date it has been presented at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene Texas, Storyopolis Gallery in Beverly Hills, The New York City Children’s Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art and several other prestigious museums and galleries.
Mr. Diaz lives in San Diego, California.
In his own words…
“An illustrator’s first priority is to illuminate, to enhance and make clear to the reader the text. Drawing is the foundation on which my art is built. The strength of this foundation
determines whether a work will succeed or fail. All of the technique in the world can't save a bad drawing. As an artist, the challenge for me is to retain the spontaneity of an initial sketch or thumbnail drawing through to the creation of the final image.”