After receiving her master’s degree from Yale in 2012, Lilian returned to the gardens of Wilder Hill and apprenticed with Carl Darrow of Greenleaf Press. Carl Darrow, official printer to Historic Old Deerfield, generously shared his reverence for printing and his collection of metal type and vintage presses. Exploring the cases full of type Lilian became enamored with ‘dingbats’; the finely detailed, decorative borders and embellishments cast in metal. Her printmaking expanded from text into the creation of images, for example, The Mandala Series, The Tree of Life, and Ivy Escapes In The Night.

         Excited by the artistic possibility of text and images together, Lilian spent winters exploring new techniques and styles in countries with traditions of relief printmaking. In Granada, Nicaragua, Lilian studied at La Sirena Taller and learned to carve linoleum and wood, resulting in the series, Los Trabajadores de Granada (The Workers of Granada). 

       On another trip to Nicaragua in 2013, Lilian encountered Alicia Zamora, who used her colorful prints to protest against oppression and injustice. Alicia, who Lilian fondly called, “Mi Profesora Iconoclasta”, had a small gallery/studio in the bakery she runs with her husband. Fueled by good Nicaraguan coffee and tarts from the bakery, Alicia expanded Lilian”s printmaking skills to include monotype, layering, and vibrant colors.