Born in Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory, Lily Kelly moved to the Papunya settlement in the 1960’s. While at Papunya Lily Kelly commenced her career in painting in the 1980’s with the Papunya Tula Artists. Lily and her husband, Norman Kelly, also an artist, returned to live at Mount Liebig in the mid-1980’s. In 1986 she won the Northern Territory Art Award. Lily is one of the senior Law women within her community and teaches the younger women of the community dances and traditional songs.

In January 2006 Lily Kelly was listed as one of Australia’s top 50 most collectable artists by the Australian Art Collector magazine.

Her images depict stories of sandhills, wind and rain from the Haasts Bluff and Kunajarrayi area, with which her dreaming is associated.
Exhibitions

2000 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
2003 Chapel off Chapel Gallery (For Watiyawana Artists)
2003 Telstra NATSIAA

Selected Collections

Araluen Trust Collection at Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
Holmes Court Collection
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Queensland Art Gallery
Tomas Vroom collection, Amsterdam
James Erskine Collection

Awards

1986 Winner of the Northern Territory Art Award
2003 Finalist NATSIAA