Tonya Engel

Tonya Engel is a self-taught painter and children's book illustrator, including the pictures for Our Lady of Guadalupe and the jacket art for Hurricane Child. Her work is inspired by southern folk artists. Early in her career she explored abstract painting, but soon began to concentrate on figurative form mixed with emotion and expressionistic narrative. This art style was the perfect complement to Maya Angelou's lyrical storytelling. Engel lives in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at www.tonyaengel.com.