A mermaid-themed mural is going up on the walls of League City's Hometown Heroes pool, painted by Becky Steele, one of three artists in the city-run Artist in Residence program.

The city announced the work-in-progress Wednesday, July 29, on its official social media account. The city has not announced a completion date.

Steele is a full-time acrylic painter and muralist known for layered, impressionist brushwork and bold color drawn from nature. She is one of three artists selected for the 2026–2027 residency cohort alongside digital illustrator Jack Moore and painter Delaney Yohe.

The Artist in Residence program, a pilot that launched in May 2025, gives three local artists free studio space inside the historic Ghirardi House at Heritage Park for 12 months. In return, each artist teaches at least three free classes open to League City residents of all ages through the city's library and recreational programming. City staff and members of the Keep League City Beautiful Committee, a citizen group appointed by the mayor, choose the artists through a selection process requiring portfolio examples, letters of recommendation, and proposed class descriptions.

In her artist statement on the city's Artist in Residence program page, Steele wrote: "Through my artwork, I hope to invite viewers to pause, breathe, and reconnect with a sense of beauty and wonder."

Residents can meet Steele and the other artists in person at the Ghirardi House at Heritage Park on the second and fourth Friday of every month.

The Hometown Heroes mural is the latest addition to League City's growing public art footprint. In May 2026, City Council approved up to $65,000 for A&O Design and Production Co. to paint a mural on a city water tank at 3rd Street and Railroad Avenue. A separate mini mural by artist Anat Ronen was showcased by the city in September 2025 at FM 646 and Walker Street.

Steele also plans to offer a Community Mural Workshop during her residency, where participants can help create a collaborative piece while learning the process from design through installation.