Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts shimmers at student art show
By Nathan Mayberg4 min read
1 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
2 / 103
Art show second place
3 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior Ace Sotelo, with her eye-popping paper machete gargoyle, took home first place in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
4 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior Ace Sotelo, with her eye-popping paper machete gargoyle, took home first place in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
5 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior Ace Sotelo, with her eye-popping paper machete gargoyle, took home first place in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
6 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior Ace Sotelo, with her eye-popping paper machete gargoyle, took home first place in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
7 / 103
Art show
8 / 103
Art show
9 / 103
Art show
10 / 103
The top finishers in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show were (left to right) Kristi Vasquez Canseco (third place), Jamie Lowry (second place) and Ace Sotelo (first place). Photo by Nathan Mayberg
11 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior Ace Sotelo, with her eye-popping paper machete gargoyle, took home first place in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association's student scholarship show. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
12 / 103
Art show
13 / 103
Art show
14 / 103
Art show
15 / 103
Art show
16 / 103
Art show
17 / 103
FMB Art Association
18 / 103
FMB Art Association
19 / 103
art show
20 / 103
Art teacher
21 / 103
"Space" by Lilliana Reisch, acrylic on canvas
22 / 103
"Space" by Lilliana Reisch, acrylic on canvas
23 / 103
"Max" by Lilliana Reisch, acrylic on canvas
24 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year.
25 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
26 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
27 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
28 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
29 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
30 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
31 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
32 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
33 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
34 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
35 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
36 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
37 / 103
Lilliana Reisch was among the standout painters at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts this year
38 / 103
This year's Cypress Lake Center for the Arts senior class was an exceptional one. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
39 / 103
A work by Katie Giesel Sharp
40 / 103
A work by Katie Giesel Sharp
41 / 103
A work by Katie Giesel Sharp
42 / 103
Jesse Lee
43 / 103
Jesse Lee
44 / 103
Jesse Lee
45 / 103
Jesse Lee
46 / 103
Jesse Lee
47 / 103
Jesse Lee
48 / 103
Jesse Lee
49 / 103
50 / 103
Jesse Lee
51 / 103
Jesse lee
52 / 103
Jesse Lee
53 / 103
Jesse Lee
54 / 103
55 / 103
56 / 103
Jesse Lee
57 / 103
Jesse Lee
58 / 103
Jesse Lee
59 / 103
Jesse Lee
60 / 103
Jesse Lee
61 / 103
62 / 103
63 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasaquez Canseco
64 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
65 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
66 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
67 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
68 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
69 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
70 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
71 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
72 / 103
Third place winner Kristi Vasquez Canseco
73 / 103
74 / 103
75 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
76 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
77 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
78 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
79 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
80 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
81 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
82 / 103
Fort Myers Beach Art Association Scholarship Show first place winner Ace Sotelo, a senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
83 / 103
Second place
84 / 103
Second place
85 / 103
Second place
86 / 103
Second place
87 / 103
Second Place
88 / 103
Second place
89 / 103
Second place
90 / 103
Second place
91 / 103
Second place
92 / 103
Second place
93 / 103
The Fort Myers Beach Art Association announces winners of the student scholarship show
94 / 103
FMB Art Association
95 / 103
The Fort Myers Beach Art Association announces the winners of the student scholarship show
96 / 103
The Fort Myers Beach Student Art Association with Cypress Lake Center for the Arts students
97 / 103
FMB Art Association and winner
98 / 103
Cypress Lake Center for the Arts Principal
99 / 103
Scholarship show program
100 / 103
Scholarship show program
101 / 103
Scholarship show program
102 / 103
Destiny Loparev "Chess" painting
103 / 103
"Lotus Flower" an acrylic painting and joint compound by Destiny Loparev of Cypress Lake Center for the Arts
Each year, the art students at Cypress Lake High School Center for the Arts put on a clinic of art, dazzling onlookers at their annual art show and each year the Fort Myers Beach Art Association pays tribute with scholarships awarded to the three students who earn the best marks.
The only wonder is where the students gain all the creativity and time for their polished and sophisticated works of art that were once again nothing but astonishing at this year’s student scholarship art show.
Taking down top honors in this year’s show was Ace Sotelo, whose eye-popping paper machete gargoyle painted in acrylic was the highlight of the show. The gargoyle was part of a project in the program called “my alter ego” and was completed by Sotelo in just a few months. “It took a lot of time,” she said.
Impressive in its own right, Sotelo said the work isn’t yet completed. She still has plans to turn the spine into a water fountain. Ask her about it and she speeds up, intricately detailing the engineering of her plans involving the cardboard, wood, silicone, and other parts as if she was putting together a rocket ship.
“There is a pipe where the spine would be into the throat,” Sotelo explained. Her plans are to connect the pipe with a water outlet and a mechanism which will spur the water out of the mouth into a water foundation.
That’s the kind of intellect that was on display at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts as a baker’s dozen of gifted artists showed off oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, ceramics, claydrawings, paper machete and media art among many other forms of artistry to a crowd in awe.
The show was judged by Barbara Hill who commended Sotelo for her “bold exploration of media. Painting, drawing, sculpture – are all evidencing fresh perspectives while developing a cohesive style. ‘My Alter Ego’ is powerful and well done.”
A senior at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts, Sotelo is also currently taking classes at Florida SouthWestern State College with plans to enroll full-time later this year. She would like to be an elementary art teacher. Sotelo credited the staff at Cypress Lake Center for the Arts for challenging the students with complicated assignments and for “letting our imaginations go wild.”
While Sotelo’s gargoyle was tough to top, that was just one of her works. She also did a self portrait in charcoal pencil – a medium she just pick up last year. She also showcased a number of sharp oil paintings. And she has only been in the arts program for two years.
“I love oil painting,” Sotelo said. “I like that I can come back to it unlike acrylic.”
There were no slouches in this group.
Runner-up Jamie Lowery said one of her featured works of a dragon made out of fabric hanging below a group of stars was inspired by a decorative dragon at her doctor’s office and from her mom’s side of the family which is Chinese and with this being the Chinese year of the dragon.
Lowery, who also plays golf competitively, said she works on a lot of her art pieces when she travels to tournaments. She works on the pieces of art at hotel rooms though she admits she “loses a lot of sleep.”
Lowery wants to be a special effects designer and hopes to develop a graphic novel. She is inspired by fantasy writing. Torres is committed to attending Daytona State College.
The arts program is led by Patricia Bonwell, who has been an arts teacher at the school for more than 20 years. “They really maxed out their potential,” Bonwell said of this year’s class of students. “It’s bittersweet,” she said of knowing she will have to part with this year’s seniors. “We are very attached.”
Bonwell, said she learns from the students. “I learn something every day,” she said. “We have a culture of creativity.”
Bonwell said the school is thankful to be supported by the community. “Every year, we have been so lucky to have the community to support the arts.”
