Lilja Cardew is a versatile visual artist and illustrator who has taught and exhibited visual arts and drawing from a young age. She has participated in several group exhibitions with paintings, including acrylic, water-colour, ink, and mixed media, as well as video works with original music.

In June 2022, Lilja won first place in the annual Penguin Cover Design Award with her book cover for "Diary of a Young Naturalist" by Dara McAnulty. The author of the book wrote this about Lilja’s cover: “Lilja’s design has stunningly embodied the core of Diary, by elevating what we see every day. The angle, which I have positioned myself in for most of my childhood watching insects and listening to every sound, is perfectly captured here. There’s a special order about the design that really appeals to me, the lines have a wild logical sequence. I love it!”

Lilja has a strong connection with nature which relfects in how she notices the details in her surroundings, or as she puts it herself: “Growing up in Iceland, where the raw energy of nature constantly reminds us of its presence, both in magnificent beauty and in extreme conditions, has shaped me as an artist, as I am always aware of the small moments that our days are made up of.”