Monday, May 18, 2015

Kenneth Lilly

Kenneth Norman Lilly was one of the finest of British nature artists, his drawings of wildlife - most notably the kind of wildlife you would find in your hedgerow or nearby fields—drawn with a passion and interest for the subject.

Born in Bromley, Surrey, on 30 December 1929, the son of Cecil Lilly and his wife Raibie (nee Mayes), Ken Lilly became a prolific contributor of  illustrations and covers to Look and Learn and Treasure. He produced a number of notable series for the former, illustrating Maxwell Knight’s ‘This Month in the Country’ (1967) and Ken Denham’s series on ‘Animal Families’ (1968).

Lilly was also a regular illustrator of books from the 1970s onwards and an exhibition of his animal paintings was held at the Medici Galleries in London in 1983. Some of the best illustrations can be found in Kenneth Lilly’s Animals (1988). As well as books, Lilly also illustrated a set of stamps entitled ‘Friends of the Earth’, released in 1986.

In 1992, Dorling Kindersley published a series of short children's books under the title 'Kenneth Lilly's Animal Ark', which grouped animals with common features (feathers, scales, spots or stripes) with a single sentence description by Angela Wilkes. A later series by Tessa Potter featured different animals and different seasons. One of his most notable series was a number of books which depicted animals at life size.

Lilly, who lived in Devon, died on 11 May 1996, aged 66.

PUBLICATIONS

Illustrated Books
Birds of Prey by Glenys and Derek Lloyd. London, Hamlyn, 1969.
The Seashore by Jennifer Cochrane, illus. with others. Feltham, Hamlyn, 1971.
Seabirds by David Saunders. London, Hamlyn, 1971.
The Scandaroon by Henry Williamson. London, Macdonald, 1972.
Some Birds and Mammals of the Woodland. London, Medici Society, 1978.
Some Birds and Mammals of the Field and Hedgerow. London, Medici Society, 1980.
The Squirrel by Margaret Lane. London, Methuen/Walker Books, 1982.
Baby Animal Board Books. London, Methuen/Walker Books, 1982.
The Fox by Margaret Lane. London, Methuen/Walker Books, Sep 1982.
Animals at the Zoo. London, Methuen, 1982.
Animals in the Country. London, Methuen, 1982.
Animals in the Jungle. London, Methuen, 1982.
Animals in the Ocean. London, Methuen, 1982.
Some Birds and Animals of the Riverbank. London, The Medici Society, 1983.
Animal Board Books. London, Methuen/Walker Books, 1984.
Animal Jumpers. London, Walker Books, 1984.
Animal Climbers. London, Walker Books, 1984.
Animal Swimmers. London, Walker Books, 1984.
Animal Runners. London, Walker Books, 1984.
Animal Builders. London, Walker Books, 1984.
Daytime Animals by Joanna Cole. London, Walker Books, 1985.
Night Time Animals by Joanna Cole. London, Walker Books, 1985.
Come, Come to My Corner by William Mayne. London, Walker Books, 1986.
Kenneth Lilly's Animals by Joyce Pope. London, Walker Books, 1988.
Large as Life Animals by Joanna Cole. London, Walker Books, 1990.
The Animal Atlas by Barbara Taylor. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
Kenneth Lilly's Animal Ark:
  Colourful Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Stripey Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Furry Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Prickly Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Scaly Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Wrinkly Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Spotty Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
  Feathery Animals by Angela Wilkes. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1992.
A Field Full of Horses by Peter Hansard. London, Walker Books, 1993.
Baby Animals by Kate Hayden. London, Walker Books, 1996.
Digger: The Story of a Mole by Tessa Potter. London, Andersen, 1996.
Fang: The Story of a Fox by Tessa Potter. London, Andersen, 1996.
Greyfur: The Story of a Rabbit by Tessa Potter. London, Andersen, 1996.
Sam: The Story of an Otter by Tessa Potter. London, Andesen, 1996.
The Big Book of Animals by Sheila Hanly. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1997.
My Little Animals Board Book. London, Dorling Kindersley, 1998; as My First Animal Board Book, ed. Rachel Wardley. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2010

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