A fulltime commission painter, 26 year-old April Yopp paints everything from people to homes, but she specializes in pet portraits. “I would love to paint every Roanoke resident’s dog.” Yopp also hopes to have the opportunity to paint more murals in Roanoke.

“This painting is different for me,” says Yopp, “as I’ve never painted myself before. It shows my first paint night at Melrose Branch Library in 2019. I’ve since done much more in the libraries and have personally seen the Melrose and Raleigh court branches go out of their way to honor Black culture and uplift children in the community. They are an important resource in the community.”