The Artist of Tiny Virtue Heroes
From doctoring to drawing, meet Jeanie Egolf, the artist behind Tiny Virtue Heroes™.
Jean Ann Schoonover-Egolf is a retired doctor of Internal Medicine who has, in moving on from her medical practice, returned to her childhood heart’s desire. If someone asked Jeanie when she was a young girl what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have said an artist. Now, her years of experience running a medical practice serve to enrich the professionalism that Jeanie brings to her work in publishing, not only as an artist, but also as an illustrator, children’s author, art director, and more recently, founder of a publishing service. Jeanie is the creator of the award-winning Molly McBride children’s book series and President of Perpetual Light Publishing service company. Jeanie is a humbly brilliant over-achiever.
This homeschooling mom and creative entrepreneur is a Bucks fan who resides in Central Ohio with her husband Dr. Jay Egolf, two daughters, and various rescued pets. She has illustrated and/or served as Art Director for over 60 published books. Dr. Jeanie’s art is for sale in galleries throughout Florida and Ohio and online at www.zazzle.com/quirky_filly.
Jeanie is working with award-winning author and virtue advocate, Cathy Gilmore, to create the Tiny Virtue Heroes™ series of characters, virtue-building resources, and storybooks. With Cathy’s leadership and Jeanie’s art, this team is on a mission to energize all children to imagine themselves as a Virtue Heroes, living lives packed with SUPER-powered everyday virtue. Each of Cathy’s 35 different characters is a charming and memorable icon of an everyday virtue. They are pretend friends who inspire children to develop the knowledge and habit of virtue in a fun and natural way. Jeanie’s skill in finessing even the tiniest details of facial expression, coloration, and body position, is extraordinary. She infuses both virtue and charm into these characters. Follow @virtueheroes on instagram or facebook to see more of Jeanie’s art as the Tiny Virtue Heroes™ characters emerge.
All Jeanie’s book titles feature role model examples of virtue. Jeanie’s virtue-focused title Molly McBride and the Party Invitation emphasizes the virtue of charity. Jeanie’s signature characters, Molly McBride and her friend Dominic, offer children a funny and engaging series of stories that introduce the idea that children can live their lives generously: though a religious vocation as a nun or a priest. Molly desires to be a nun who wears a purple “habit” and Dominic imagines himself as a priest wearing his cleric black with white collar.
Jeanie has said, “Most all little girls and boys are quite familiar with the vocation of married life with motherhood and fatherhood. They have only to look at their own families. But these days few children even know about religious life as an option for themselves. My books help them picture that possibility.”
The joyfully generous nuns in purple habits whom Molly admires are real. They are known as the Children of Mary. They are a relatively new order living on a farm in Ohio. They have served communities in inner city Columbus, Cincinnati, and even Ireland. Their website is www.childrenofmary.net.
When Jeanie is not creating the design and art for Tiny Virtue Heroes™, she works to help anyone who wants to find joyfully creative ways to increase the love of Our Lord in society. She comes alongside both emerging and established professional authors to enable their book visions to come to life. She does virtual and live events with schools and groups to plant seeds in the hearts of children and youth about religious vocations, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and using our gifts and talents, like writing and illustrating, to serve God. The best way to contact Jeanie for a presentation is by emailing perpetualuxcodex@gmail.com.