SOLD
 
An self-portrait by Lilian Buchanan (1914–2004). Oil on canvas.
 
Lilian was born into an artistic family, and as a teenager she attended Hornsey College of Art. By 1939 and the advent of war, she was already making her name as a successful book illustrator. Service in the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) found her working in the Operations Rooms of Fighter Groups in Kent. Her notable 1943 painting of the Ops Room at RAF Kenley is held in the collections of the Royal Air Force Museum.
 
During the war years, Lilian's portrait of her WAAF friends and some of the serving Canadian Squadron pilots were shown at the Royal Academy.
 
After the war, she attended Camberwell School of Art, and continued to exhibit and sell her paintings. She also continued her commercial work, illustrating numerous children's books throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
 
The Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, holds some of her work in their permanent collection.