Elena, known as Lele, is an all-round creative practitioner who began her career twenty years ago as creative/art director, working in advertising for international brands such as Apple, Sony and Meta in offices in Madrid, London and Los Angeles. In 2018, she graduated from a master’s degree in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. Since then, Lele has balanced her illustration journey with art direction and teaching roles.
Her work has been exhibited in major cities in the UK as long as in Berlin, Liechtenstein and Bratislava. She was artist in residence at the Stephen Perse Foundation during 2018/2019 and shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards in 2020. Recently, her illustrations were commissioned for a nationwide Google advertising campaign in Spain.
Lele is concerned with contemporary issues such as mental wellbeing, sustainability and social justice and, in addition to teaching at CSVPA, she designs and delivers courses for Cambridge Community Arts, Cambridge based charity that improves mental health through creativity.