Ken Lilly
Wildlife Artist & Illustrator
1929-1996
A Family's View: in memory of a clever old stick
The majority of Ken's known work was for children's books and greetings cards under his full name, Kenneth Lilly, most of which are no longer in print. Some of Ken’s other work may have been familiar, thanks to an earlier career in advertising and the 1995 Christmas stamps – familiar but anonymous. Demand for his work as an illustrator left little time to paint purely for himself.
In 1996, he made the decision to take a year out, only accepting work that allowed him more freedom of ideas and style. More importantly, he planned to complete his own portfolio project of race horse portraits and fulfil some long overdue private commissions. Sadly, all remain unfinished.
Familiar but anonymous
From one generation to the next
This website is for our family: our children lost their grandfather when they were very young and although they grew up with his books, barely knew him. They missed out on knowing a man who adored children, who dedicated his books to them and helped inspire them to appreciate the countryside and nature in all its forms – and to draw.
It is planned for the Gallery to grow, serving as an online collection of Ken's work for all the family, in one accessible place, and for others to discover and explore.
Ken Lilly.co.uk