Lilly was born around 1948 in the Haast Bluff region of the Northern Territory of Australia. She later moved to Papunya, the community in the Northern Territory where Indigenous imagery was translated to canvas for the first time. She assisted her husband, Norman Kelly with his works, and then began painting herself in the 1980s. In 1986 she won the Northern Territory Art Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Painting.
Lilly is a senior law woman for her community, teaching younger generations traditional singing and dancing. Her immense knowledge and respect for her country comes across in all her paintings.
Lilly depicts stories from the Haasts Bluff and Kunajarrayi regions in her works. She holds authority over the Women Dreaming story associated with Kunajarrayi.
Recently she has chosen to depict Sand Hills, using a technique of fine dotting and dashes to show the topography of her land. The works often show the seasonal changes in the landscape and the changes that occur due to natural forces such as wind and rain.
In 2006 Lilly was voted one of the top 50 most collectable artists by Art Collector Magazine, and this is reflected in the number of important private and public collections throughout Australia and overseas her work is included in.
COLLECTIONS:
National Gallery of Queensland, Brisbane
The Kerry Stokes Collection
The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Holmes a Court Collection, Perth
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Art Bank, Sydney
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
Thomas Vroom Collection, Amsterdam
EXHIBITIONS:
1999 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs
2000 Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide
2001 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs
2002 Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs
2002 Telstra Awards, Darwin
2003 Telstra Awards, Darwin
2003 Neil Murphy Indigenous Art Showing, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney
2003 Graham Marshall Gallery, Sydney
2003 Telstra Awards
2003 Neil Murphy Indigenous Art Span Galleries, Melbourne
2004 Mary Place Gallery, Sydney
2004 Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide
AWARDS:
1986, Winner of the Northern Territory Art Award
2003, Finalist NATSIAA