It is with deep sadness we share with you the passing of Canadian author-illustrator Eugenie Fernandes. Born in Huntington, New York, on September 25, 1943, Eugenie graduated from New York City's School of Visual Arts in 1965. It was here where Eugenie wrote and illustrated her first book—Wickedishrag—for a class project.
Growing up, Eugenie spent much of her time creating art alongside her father Creig Flessel, an early comic book artist from the 1930s. They had desks side by side on the top floor of their house. It's no surprise that Eugenie continued to make art alongside her loved ones, this time from her studio near Peterborough, Ontario. Her husband, Henry, and children, Kim and Matthew, are all artists.
Over the course of her career in children's publishing, Eugenie illustrated over 100 books for young readers, and created 20 additional books that she both wrote and illustrated. She toured for Canadian Children's Book Week five times, and was the artist selected to illustrate the 2011 Book Week poster—Changing the World, One Child at a Time.
When asked by the CCBC for the publication The Storymakers: Illustrating Children's Books if she had any tips for young creators, she said "Write what you feel. Paint what you love."
Our condolences go out to Eugenie's family and friends.