Gomez, Elena

Personal

Born in Spain.

Addresses

Home and office—France. E-mail—elenalouisegomez@hotmail.com.

Career

Illustrator and fine artist.

Illustrator

The House That Jack Built, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Frances McKay, Elliot and the Big Wave, Hodder (London, England), 2001.

Jonathan Emmett, Through the Heart of the Jungle, Tiger Tales (Wilton, CT), 2003.

Jeremy Brooks, compiler, A World of Prayers, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, MI), 2006.

Pooja Makhijani, Mama's Saris, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007.

Michaela Morgan, Shy Shark, Treehouse Court, 2007.

Anna Scott-Brown, Creation Song, Lion (London, England), 2008.

Sidelights

Praised for creating boldly colored, realistic illustrations, Elena Gomez is a Spanish-born artist who now makes her home in France. Her paintings for Mama's Saris bring to life a universal story by first-time writer Pooja Makhijani that captures the close relationship between a young girl and her mother, while Through the Heart of the Jungle pairs her stylish images with an engaging cumulative tale by British writer Jonathan Emmett. Noting the "great rhythmic movement" in Gomez's illustrations for Emmett's book, School Library Journal critic Wanda Meyers-Hines predicted that "kids will be mesmerized" by the artist's work.

Enhancing Jeremy Brooks's multicultural Christian anthology A World of Prayers, Gomez contributes what School Library Journal critic Linda L. Walkins described as "dreamlike, decorative paintings that reflect the various cultures … and emphasize the book's message of inclusiveness." According to a Kirkus Reviews writer, the artist captures the "global focus" of Brooks's collection by incorporating "vibrant colors" and intricate patterns, both which "add greatly to the volume's appeal." "The artwork on the spaciously designed spreads is enchanting," noted Ilene Cooper in Booklist, the critic adding that Gomez pays "careful attention … to the design motifs of different countries."

Gomez's best-known work, featured in Pooja Makhijani's Mama's Saris, focuses on a seven-year-old Indian-American girl who wishes to dress up on her birthday

[Image not available for copyright reasons]

in one of the richly colored silk saris that her mother wears on special occasions. Noting that "narrative and art pay satisfying tribute to a treasured tradition," a Publishers Weekly critic added that the "rich palette of colors and intricately detailed patterns" featured in "Gomez's … realistic acrylic paintings deftly depict" the treasured garments that are the focus of Makhijani's family-centered tale. Calling the illustrations "as richly colored and patterned as Indian cloth," Gillian Engberg concluded in Booklist that Gomez's work for Mama's Saris reflects "the love and closeness … [between] mother and daughter."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of A World of Prayers, p. 48; April 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Mama's Saris, p. 49.

Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2003, review of Through the Heart of the Jungle, p. 304; January 1, 2006, review of A World of Prayers, p. 38; April 1, 2007, review of Mama's Saris.

Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2003, review of Through the Heart of the Jungle, p. 74; May 28, 2007, review of Mama's Saris, p. 60.

School Library Journal, September, 2003, Wanda Meyers-Hines, review of Through the Heart of the Jungle, p. 177; February, 2006, Linda L. Walkins, review of A World of Prayers, p. 116; June, 2007, Margaret R. Tassia, review of Mama's Saris, p. 115.

ONLINE

Elena Gomez Home Page,http://www.elenagomez.co.uk (July 29, 2008).