By Mike May
Andrea Gonzalez, a 17-year-old Wellington resident and a rising senior at Suncoast High School, is driven by the philosophy of giving back, expressing thanks and showing appreciation. She doesn’t always express her appreciation with handwritten notes or her voice. Instead, she often uses her artwork to give back and pay homage to those individuals, especially teachers, who have helped her progress in life.
“I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember,” Gonzalez recalled.
This past spring, and the previous spring as well, Gonzalez created murals for Teacher Appreciation Week at her elementary school alma mater, Wellington’s Binks Forest Elementary School. She is also planning to paint another mural for Teacher Appreciation Week at Binks Forest next spring.
Her murals in 2023 and 2024 have been quite large, and each took nearly five weeks to complete. According to Gonzalez, the murals were roughly 12 feet long and seven feet tall.
The title of the mural in 2023 was “Pyramids and Mountains,” while the name of this year’s mural was “The Clock.” Each mural followed a theme that was agreed upon by the leadership of the school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
“In 2023, the PTA’s theme for Teacher Appreciation Week was the Seven Wonders of the World, and this year’s theme was Toys,” Gonzalez said. “So, last year, my mural focused on the pyramids of Egypt and Mount Everest, which is why it was called Pyramids and Mountains. This year, since the theme was Toys, my mural design was the famous clock at the FAO Schwarz store in New York.”
The FAO Schwarz clock is unique since the face of the clock has two eyes and a smile. Believe it or not, Gonzalez was able to paint “The Clock” by using only five colors.
“My primary colors this year were red, gold, black and white, along with a little bit of blue,” Gonzalez explained.
According to Veronica Zavaleta, Andrea Gonzalez’s mother, her daughter would like to motivate the next generation of young students by expressing love and gratitude through art, which is why a young artist named Claire Russell — a rising fourth grader at Binks Forest — helped Gonzalez by making her own artistic creation this past spring to complement Gonzalez’s mural.
While Gonzalez said that she has always had an interest in art, she has benefited by learning and listening to her art teachers in school, including her current art teacher at Suncoast High School. That’s one of the many things that motivated Gonzalez to pursue the mural projects.
“My art teacher at Suncoast is Mr. [Anthony] Kopp, who genuinely gives me a solid and honest critique when I ask for it,” said Gonzalez, who plans to keep drawing and painting for the rest of her life.
In addition to her two murals, Gonzalez has already compiled a treasure chest of artistic creations.
“I have 10 art pieces in frames, and I have many more projects that I have started in my sketch book,” she said.
Gonzalez has been impressed and influenced by the work of other great artists.
“I love the work of Monet, and I love Impressionism,” Gonzalez said. “I also like the art of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. My favorite color is black, using the style Tenebrism. I also like portrait work and drawing faces of people, including my own.”
While Gonzalez is passionate about art, she’s also a great student and a member of Suncoast’s girls varsity weightlifting team.
“I’m enrolled in the school’s International Baccalaureate program, and I hope to be a co-captain of the girls weightlifting team next year,” she said. “I want to win a state championship next spring.”
At 154 pounds, her best clean-and-jerk effort is 174 pounds. She can also bench press 155 pounds, and her best lift in the snatch is 126 pounds.
After graduating from Suncoast next spring, she plans to continue her collegiate education in Orlando. “I hope to enroll at the University of Central Florida,” Gonzalez said.
