WILLEY, Bee

1963 - ?

Beatrice Willey was born in central London of Anglo-French parents. Beatrice was educated at the French Lycée in London, and later moved to France where she spent most of her childhood. As a six-year-old she travelled around the world with her parents on their way to Australia and at that early age began to draw in her sketchbook, at such places as Easter Island, Machu Pichu, the Taj Mahal, and Tahiti. Drawing did not feature in the curriculum in France, and she was worked towards a scientific baccalaureate qualification. Bee, as she was known, was brought up with her great cousin’s Fred Rowland Emett’s (1906-1990) illustrations which sparked her children's book collecting. In Paris she visited a Chagall exhibition and decided on a career as an illustrator having lessons with Lucette de la Fougere (1921-2010), who had grown up in Marrakech and Casablanca, whilst she was also doing the preparation work for a portfolio for a degree. At that time illustration was not a recognised profession in France and was an extension of ‘graphic artist.’ Completing her portfolio she then studied for a degree in Visual Communication in Corsham, Wiltshire, before returning to London, working on commissions for Decca, EMI, Royal Mail, the South Bank Centre, and many magazines. Bee illustrated many children's books and their covers, including Edward Lear’s 'Nonsense Rhymes' and 'Nonsense Songs' and Joan Aiken's 'The Wooden Dragon' and has worked with many texts and authors and she was shortlisted for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award for her illustrations in Andrew Matthews 'Bob Robber and Dancing Jane'. Bee moved to Bolton Lane, Ipswich in the early 00s and draws, paints, and uses mixed media and collage in her process, which helps build up atmosphere around the characters and is interested in drawing, thinking and education and teaches on the Illustration Degree course in Norwich University of the Arts.
Website: https://www.beewilley.com

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Works by This Artist