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Lillian Delevoryas Author

Lillian Delevoryas was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, USA in 1932. Her initial art training was in New York, at Pratt Institute and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. After graduation, she traveled and studied extensively in Japan, France and Greece. Lillian's repertoire covers a vast area, spanning over 60 years as an artist, which began in New York in the '50 s and '60's, where she established herself as a painter, exhibiting frequently in the gallery world. In 1970 Lillian moved to England and since then has made this country her adopted home. When she arrived in London, her work shifted to the medium of fabric applique producing garments for actors and pop artists. She also designed tapestries and wall hangings, both for private individuals as well as for churches and other public spaces. Lillian married the writer and religious philosopher Robin Amis in 1972, when they set up home in Gloucestershire. Inspired by the color and variety of the English garden, she then began working in watercolor. These floral pictures quickly translated into designs, including a range of fabrics and wallpaper for Designers Guild, ceramics for Habitat and Royal Doulton, and cards for Elgin Court. During this period Lillian also ran a tapestry and needlepoint workshop in partnership with Kaffe Fassett. Tapestries produced from their designs won many awards and were exhibited widely in places such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal College of Art and Courtauld House. From the '90s onwards her work was increasingly influenced by the icons of Greece and Russia. Lillian then devoted herself to learning the techniques of iconography, and this gradually led to a series of works which combined iconography with images of the world.