The minds of children in our society are ultimately the building blocks of our future generations. Manuel Delgado-Ordaz Jr. sought to exhibit that fact when he was selected to help create the new mural for Laureate Park Elementary School. The mural is named Lake Nona Minds and is representative of all the bright and blossoming children of Lake Nona. A highly talented 16-year-old junior at our very own Lake Nona High School, Manuel captured the essence of the Nonahood’s young minds through colored blocks that represent dreams, goals, education, hard work, challenges, creativity, and the like. Manuel drew his inspiration from all of these to weave together a singular image with the threads of these core values.

A challenging aspect of this project that Manuel had to manage was the short time frame. It was no small feat, as the piece is detailed and intricate. Manuel painstakingly drew his design piece by piece with the help of an art studio to ensure that every detail was as perfect as it could be. It took around 40 hours in preparation and planning time before the actual application, which was completed in four hours. After it was created, Manuel spent another two days retouching to fine tune the work. He was able to finish in time, and he even tried new elements and mediums along the way to challenge himself further.

There have been suggestions of Manuel creating another mural for Lake Nona Middle School, but at the moment he is focused on a new series of art involving Star Wars, among other commissions. Previously, Manuel has completed pieces centered around Epcot and its architecture, as well as the architecture of his cherished home country, Venezuela. Manuel has always been fascinated with the historical aspect of buildings and how their background can be viewed in a single glance.

Manuel started his creative process as early on as 4 years old, enamored by shapes, colors and form, and would draw frequently as he progressed through his childhood years. Eventually, he experimented with three-dimensional buildings and their perspective and proved to be extremely talented. His parents encouraged him and guided him to where he is today. He expresses feelings and thoughts through his art, as well as cementing history within it. This allows the captured historical buildings to always remain enlivened through his art, and it showcases his point of view and research he has completed regarding the subject matter. For example, as an artist he might see something in a subject that most people would disregard. To emphasize its features, he would play with the vibrancy, tone and shapes to make it more appealing to the viewer. This way, the viewer would be able to see it exactly as Manuel does through his artistic eye.

Manuel’s family and friends motivate him to pursue this passion of his, as well as to cultivate the expression of himself that is shown in his work. They drive him to create as he does and are his biggest advocates toward his artistic vision. His mother, Thais Ordaz, and his father and namesake, Manuel Delgado Sr., encourage him to strive to reach his full potential and all that he is capable of doing because there is much more yet to be seen from the ingenious Manuel. As his father says, “There is no limit to the Lake Nona mind.”