BIOGRAPHY

John has loved making art and experimenting with different media since early childhood. His curiosity led him to teach himself to screen print and make letterpress prints (with an Adana bought with loads of type for £10) in the garage at home and he used the larder to develop and print photographs.

With enjoying different processes this Do-It–Yourself approach continues to the present day. The range and depth of his printmaking methods are explored and discussed in Linda Newington’s essay for the Blue Notebook, ‘From Potato to Digital’.

Despite John’s interest in printmaking, his work is led by ideas rather than process, in particular the human relationship with nature.
A childhood spent playing and rooting about in his grandparent’s large Kent garden left a lasting impression and remains the source of many ideas and work, such as the box ‘Bad Apples’ and the books ‘Weeds and Pests’ and ‘With the Worms’.

Dilnot studied graphic Design at Canterbury College of Art, followed by Fine Art at Camberwell School of Art in the early 1980’s. John focused on screen printing, exploring sequential imagery, which led to his first artists’ books.
He also made boxes at this time, which featured in his degree show installation. John’s box works have since become very collectable.

John has shown in many mixed and survey shows including the V&A Museum, Tate Gallery, RA Summer Exhibition, Cornerhouse Manchester, Bluecoat Liverpool and The National Trust. Solo shows include ‘Natural History’ at Rebecca Hossack Gallery, ‘In the Country’ with Southern Arts Touring and ‘Rural Views’ at Aytoun Gallery Manchester.

John sells his work through many outlets in this country and abroad. Outlets include, V&A Museum shop, MOCA Los Angeles, Designers Guild London, Material Ludlow and London, The Otherist Amsterdam, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Frank Whitstable, Nixey & Godfrey Holt, Red Door Gallery Edinburgh and Appendage Brighton.

He has work in many private and public collections. Public collections include, Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Library, British Library, Museum of Modern Art New York, Yale Center for British Art, Royal College of Art Library, Winchester School of Art, University of Brighton and Hampshire County Council.

Out of the Trees and into the wood 1985

A Home for Max Ernst box work 1988

installation at Cornerhouse Manchester 1991

Night billboard Liverpool 1992

More Wet Weather construction 1996

CV

Born Margate, Kent

Education
1976-1979 Canterbury College of Art and Design, Diploma in Graphic Design
1981-1984 Camberwell School of Art and Crafts, Degree in Fine Art
1985-1986 Camberwell School of Art and Crafts, Postgraduate Printmaking

Commissions
2007 Tate Publishing - Christmas card design
2007 Crafts Magazine - book promotion
2007 Camden Council - trophy design and production
1998 Buckingham County Museum - Endangered Species cupboard
1996 Merseytravel - set of three environmental paintings
1995 University of Bradford - design and produce wallpaper

Awards
2009 Brighton Festival Award - Selector's Choice Overall Winner
2001 South East Arts Board - production award
1994 North West Arts Board - production award
1992 Merseyside Arts - production award

Solo Exhibitions
2010 NATURAL HISTORY Rebecca Hossack Gallery London
2009 Cuttings Frank Whitstable
2003 Books Centre for Fine Print Research UWE Bristol
2000 Books Hove Museum and Art Gallery
1998 Country Fresh Buckinghamshire County Museum Aylesbury
1996 In The Country Southern Arts touring show
1995 Rural Views Aytoun Gallery Manchester
1995 To The Country Hope Street Gallery Liverpool John Moores University
1992 Night billboard poster project Liverpool
1991 Estate installation and bookwork Oldham Art Gallery
1990 Stock installation and bookwork 109 Charing Cross Road London

Fairs
From 2006 to 2012 I was represented by the Rebecca Hossack Gallery who took my work to many art fairs in UK. and abroad.
I have participated in Chelsea Craft Fair and Origin and regularly participate in both The Small Publishers Fair, London Artists Book Fair and Brighton Art Fair.
For many years I have an open house exhibition during the Brighton Festival in May and at Christmas.

Selected Group Exhibitions

2012 Entomology, Lotte Inch Gallery,York
2012 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2011 Cutting Edge, Mottisfont, National Trust
2011 Fry Art Gallery Annual sale
2011 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2010 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2009 Make Believe Zetter Hotel London
2008 Summer Show Yorkshire Sculpture Park
2008 Mapping the Imagination Victoria and Albert Museum
2008 Press and Release Phoenix Gallery Brighton
2007 Present(ing) London Print Studio Gallery
2006 Made Yorkshire Sculpture Park
2005 Arcadia Id Est A touring exhibition of artists' books curated by Sarah Bodman
2000 Repetivity Plymouth Arts Centre
1999 Books by Artists 1989-1999 UWE Bristol
1996 Pulse Bluecoat Liverpool
1995 Artists' Books Tate Gallery London
1995 Volcano Fruitmarket Gallery Edinburgh
1995 Padded Wallpaper University of Bradford Gallery
1995 Exploring Book Art Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Swansea
1995 New Books from America and Europe Workfortheeyetodo London
1995 Jolly Peril Paradise Castlefield Gallery Manchester
1995 Mapping Knowledge The Minories Colchester
1994 Best Before : Display Until Zwemmer Tate Liverpool
1994 Tim Barker & John Dilnot Everyman Theatre Liverpool
1994 House Liverpool John Moores University
1993 Threshold Hardware Gallery London
1992 A Pool of Signs Bluecoat Gallery Liverpool
1991 New Art : North West Cornerhouse Manchester
1988 Curved Space Hardware Gallery London
1986 British Council Collection of Books Vienna
1984 Low-Tech Coracle Press London
1982 Portrait Award National Portrait Gallery London

Survey Publications
Artists' Books Collection 2007 Winchester School of Art Library
Creating Artists' Books Printmaking Handbook Sarah Bodman A&C Black 2005
Artists Book Yearbook 1994-1995 (and onwards) Magpie Press 1995
British Artists Books a survey 1983-1993 Estamp 1993

Catalogue
In the Country catalogue and bookwork Southern Arts 1996
Natural History solo show catalogue, Rebecca Hossack Gallery 2010

Press
Latest7 July 2009
The Blue Notebook April 2009
Artists and Illustrators Magazine November 2008
Telegraph Magazine 30 September 2006
Dwell October 2006
Printmaking Today Spring 2006

Book Works
Produced 52 editioned books to date since 1985

Artworks and Book Works in Public Collections
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Tate Gallery Library
The British Library
Royal College of Art Library
Manchester University Library
St. Martins School of Art
Chelsea School of Art
Winchester School of Art
The Leicestershire Collection
The Whitworth Art Gallery
Edinburgh Central Library
Hampshire County Council
University of Bradford
University of Brighton
Buckinghamshire County Museum
Biblioteca Nationiale Centrale Florence
Humanities Research Center University of Texas at Austin
Special Collections U C San Diego California
Yale Collection
Museum of Modern Art New York