As a realist painter, Heather Marshall understands her community by painting its details. For this self-portrait, she draws from an observation of a Southeast neighborhood home fallen into disrepair, while out front, a knockout rosebush blooms.

Marshall, a public-school teacher for over a decade and now a professional realist painter, sees the arts as playing an important role in the community. “I want the art scene to be one that contributes to high standards for our relationships to each other and to a high quality of life overall.”

During the Year of the Artist, she has undertaken an Art Matters grant to lead youth artists in creating new work for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations waiting room of the City’s Oliver W. Hill Justice Center.