Lily Kelly Napangardi was born around 1948 and is a senior law woman of the Watiyawanu community, Haasts Bluff. Lilly moved to Papunya in the 1960's, and was later noted for the assistance she gave to her husband, the painter Norman Kelly. She began painting in the 1980's. Lily holds authority over the "Women Dreaming" story associated with Kunajarrayi. Lily's works are in high demand and are represented in major private and public collections throughout the world. In 1986 she won the prestigious Northern Territory Art Award.

She has worked in and around art for more than two decades, but it is only in the last three or four years that her work has captured the attention of museums and leading private collectors. Prominent among these is the Yiribana Gallery at the Art Gallery of New South Wales where the hanging of two of her major works has been an important showcase. She is essentially expressive and does not tend to plan her canvases. This spontaneous mode of working imbues her paintings with an elemental, wind-swept quality and it is this informality that hints to another level of content and evokes a powerful response in the viewer.

She has considerable experience assisting in some mens paintings and this influenced her earlier work, which has stronger formal structure. More recently this formality has been ruptured by a freer energy that reflects the energy of the elements as they collide with her country. Her paintings often note the seasonal changes in this sandy landscape, and the crucial waterholes found in the rocks in the area.

Her dreaming is the Women Dreaming story associated with Kunayarri and the subject of her work encompasses the sand hills, wind and rain quenched country near Mount Liebig, Haasts Bluff and Kintore.

Her work is in high demand. At Christies Melbourne auction (30/08/2005) one of her paintings (Untitled - Synthetic polymer paint on linen, 145 x 120 cm) with an estimate of $12,000-18,000 sold for $22,705.

Her work can be found in the following collections The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, U.S.A. Holmes A Court Collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Queensland Art Gallery, Thomas Vroom Collection, Amsterdam James Erskine Collection, Artbank, Sydney and the Araluen Trust Collection

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

Recent Work from the Watiyawanu Artists, AP Bond Art Gallery, Unley SA March 06
Watiyawanu Artists Japingka Gallery Fremantle - August 2005
The Women's Show 2005 Vivien Anderson Gallery Caulfield Nth Victoria
Desert Mob Show, Alice Springs 2000/2001/2002/2003
Graham Marshall Gallery, Adelaide 2002/2003
Telstra Awards 2003
Neil Murphy Indigenous Art showing at Mary Place Gallery, Sydney 2004
Neil Murphy Indigenous Art showing at Span Galleries, Melbourne, November 2003