Rebecca Lilley was born in Shepperton-on-Thames in 1959 and first studied art at Hornsey College of Art in London. She received a Sculpture BA (Hons) from Chelsea School of Art and Design and in 1984 gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art Printmaking at Brighton College of Art. During her studies, Rebecca exhibited her work with the New Contemporaries at the ICA in The Mall and at the Stowells Trophy Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. Her work was also selected for the Seventh International Drawing Biennale in Cleveland (UK).
Rebecca worked as a painter and fine art printmaker as well as a muralist, architectural artist, special effect painter, illustrator, artist-in-residence and an art lecturer and workshop tutor. She was committed to working with diverse community groups to help people from all walks of life have access to creativity and the benefits it brings.
Winning awards for her mural and printmaking work in particular, Rebecca worked on many public and private commissions in London and beyond. Her drawings and printmaking work have been exhibited widely and remain in collections in private, corporate and public venues in the UK and abroad.
Rebecca lived, created and taught in regions including Wales, Devon, Somerset, London, East Sussex and West Sussex before settling in Hampshire. Working from her studio in Petersfield, Hampshire, her later work explored traditional painting, drawing and printmaking methods as well as integrating contemporary technologies. Her work originated from life and her photography and was inspired by past and present media, including design, photography, film and audio, as well as world events.
On 25 November 2015, Rebecca died of breast cancer at her home in Petersfield. She was survived by her daughter, Leonora.
A sense of place
'I have early memories of painting the surrounding Dartmoor countryside in Devon where I spent a large part of my childhood. The inspiration and intention to create, through paintings and drawings, a sense of place has remained with me to today. The surrounding Chichester Harbour and South Downs where I now live have been the starting point for many original works.'
– Rebecca Lilley
Hampshire Cultural Trust collection
Rebecca's family are grateful to the Hampshire Cultural Trust for posthumously including two of her Coot series screenprints in their permanent collection. Find out about the Hampshire Cultural Trust.