Maya Christina Gonzalez facts for kids

Maya Christina Gonzalez (born 1964) is an American artist, illustrator, educator, and publisher. She lives and works in San Francisco. Gonzalez is known for creating art and books that help people feel good about themselves. Her work also helps them connect with others and the world around them.

Gonzalez co-founded a publishing company called Reflection Press. She also helped create an online learning space called School of the Free Mind. Her illustrations and books have helped more people accept and love children's books by and about Latino people. Her art is even on the cover of a textbook about Chicana and Chicano art. Gonzalez teaches and leads workshops across the United States.

Biography

Maya Christina Gonzalez was born in Lancaster, California, in 1964. Her mother was German, and her father was Mexican. When Maya was seven, she had an accident. After she recovered, she found gifts waiting for her. These gifts included paper and colored pencils. This inspired her to start drawing. It also showed her how art can help people heal. She also took art classes at a local craft store to help her recover. For several years, Gonzalez was very Catholic. She used her family's Bible and the art of Michelangelo as inspiration for her drawings.

When Gonzalez was thirteen, her family moved to rural Oregon. There, she faced racism and prejudice. At first, Gonzalez did not plan to become a professional artist. She had little formal art training. She changed her mind after studying creative writing at the University of Oregon. She enjoyed poetry, but she felt that the writing world didn't include everyone's stories. Gonzalez decided that art was a more "inclusive" and complex way for her to express herself. She found art more open than writing. She could also be less direct with her images. This is when she started painting. Gonzalez then moved from Oregon to San Francisco. She felt she could better follow her artistic dreams there. She still lives in San Francisco today.

After leaving school, Gonzalez explored creating her own art. She was interested in understanding reality and creativity. She was influenced by the ideas of Jane Roberts. Harriet Rohmer, who founded Children's Book Press, asked Gonzalez if she would like to illustrate children's books. This led Gonzalez to find her passion for illustrating. She said it felt like she had "come home."

In 1996, Gonzalez had a serious accident while print-making. She was sick for many years. During her illness, she traveled outside the United States for the first time. She visited India and the sacred city of Varanasi. She also went to Brazil to work with a traditional plant medicine. This helped her understand her illness. After her health improved, Gonzalez created more art. She also received a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. This grant helped her create a series called Healing Through. This series was shown in 2008 and 2009. Around the same time, she wrote her first book, My Colors, My World.

Gonzalez has two children. She is married to Matthew, who is also a co-founder of Reflection Press. Reflection Press publishes children's books that share unique and important stories. Gonzalez believes that everyone, especially those who feel different, needs to see their stories in books. She says that big publishing houses often don't publish these kinds of books. Gonzalez feels that her home life truly reflects her beliefs. She lives in a way that is true to herself, even if it's different from what is common.

Her Art and Books

Gonzalez's art shows people in non-stereotypical ways. She often includes people of different body types and strong women. Her art often shows a mix of different worlds or ideas, called nepantla. Her portraits combine elements from Mexican history. Her figures are often described as "curvy." Gonzalez's art also shows how people connect with the environment. She was influenced by the artist Frida Kahlo. Gonzalez uses many different techniques in her art. These include acrylic paints, collage, cut paper, photography, pastels, and charcoal.

Gonzalez feels that creating art is a spiritual process. Her work often draws from many sources of mythology, like the Aztecs. She also uses traditional spiritual symbols like the Virgin of Guadalupe. Other inspirations include pop culture and her own imagination. Her paintings combine these inspirations to express her ideas. For some time after her illness, Gonzalez used a more limited range of colors in her art.

Children's Books

Gonzalez was inspired to illustrate after meeting Harriet Rohmer. Harriet was the founder of Children's Book Press. Gonzalez has illustrated over twenty books and written some of her own. She believes it is very important for children to see themselves in books. Gonzalez wants children to know they belong. She uses her illustrations to create inclusive books. She wants to show difficult situations and feelings for children. This helps them feel less "alone." Her illustrations for children include characters not often seen in books. These include gay characters and overweight characters. For example, in Francisco X. Alarcon's stories, Gonzalez fought to keep the image of an overweight boy. This boy was meant to look like Alarcon himself. Gonzalez also hides "secret" images in her illustrations. She hid her first secret image in her illustrations for Laughing Tomatoes. Her first book that she both wrote and illustrated was My Colors, My World.

Environmental Themes

Caring for the environment is important in Gonzalez's work. She has been praised for helping young people learn about the environment. Her book I Know the River Loves Me/Yo Que El Rio Me Ama (2009) tells the story of a Chicana girl visiting a river. As she explores, the sepia-toned illustrations become more and more colorful. The book was called a "beautiful story." I Know the River Loves Me is about "belonging to the world" and having a "relationship with nature." Gonzalez feels that connecting with the environment is a very Chicano experience.

Inclusive Stories

Call Me Tree: Llámame árbol was described as "vibrantly colored." It was also called a good choice for story time. This book is special because it does not use any gendered pronouns in the story. Call Me Tree was included in a respected list by Kirkus Reviews. It was named one of the "Best Children's Books of 2014." Kirkus Reviews also praised Gonzalez's writing for Call Me Tree. They said she "excels at using few words to evoke grand imagery."

Gonzalez also creates activity books. Many of these go along with the lessons from the School of the Free Mind. Her activity books cover topics not often discussed in schools or at home. These include understanding gender. The activity book Gender Now (2010) explores how there are "multiple levels of gender expression." It was also one of the first books for children to explore transgender topics.

Awards

• 2009 Américas Book Award Commended Title (Animal Poems of the Iguazu)
• 2008 Pura Belpré Award Honor Book for Illustration (My Colors, My World)
• 2000 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award (My Very Own Room)