Student Artist Ada Tzotschew and Her Mural Focused on Human Creation

Ada Tzoschew standing in front of her work in progress: a mural depicting different aspects of automotive, agriculture, and welding. The mural is located between the two automotive doors and was started by Tzoschew during her junior year at Watauga.  “I really want to make this mural to highlight and uplift students here who take shop classes," said Tzoschew. “Because the auto tech teachers did want one, but also to leave a positive legacy at Watauga.” Photo credit: Sita Cooper.

Sita Cooper, Staff Writer for The Spark.

For students at Watauga High School, there are many ways to get involved in activities, like joining clubs, playing sports, or participating in theater. But for some, creating art on their own is what calls to them.

Art has a way of capturing one’s soul, no matter what form it takes. Whether it is a hobby or a full time job, those who show themselves through art always find time for it. Ada Tzotschew, a senior at Watauga High School, has had a deep connection to art since her childhood. She enjoys experimenting with drawing, collage, and ceramics, but her favorite medium is paint.

“I’m most proud of this small painting I made of an orange to put in a donation basket for the hospitality house,” said Tzotshew. “I really love this painting because of the amount of detail I was able to put into it despite its small size and the amount of thought and intention it had despite its simplicity.”  

Tzotschew was able to translate her love for painting onto a much larger scale when she began her mural during the 2025-2026 school year, but this was not her first experience with mural making.

In 7th grade, Tzotschew worked on a mural for a service project, but even with that experience, it was still a struggle to find time to start the project and get every detail how she wanted it to be.

“How I’m working has not been the most ideal. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but almost every single day I work on it, I get a new idea,” said Tzoschew. “I sketch it, I might run it by the auto tech teachers, but I do a lot of work and planning. It is meticulous, and it is also quite time consuming.”

Initially, the mural was specifically requested by the automotive teachers. However, since many of the same students may also take welding and agriculture, Tzotschew wanted to add those elements to her art.

“I do want to pursue a career in art, and I think muralism might be a good way to do that,” said Tzotschew. “Even though I'm not getting paid for this, I think it would look good on a portfolio, and is just a fun thing to do.”

There was never a fully completed sketch of the mural, just a bunch of ideas Tzotschew put together. She got advice on what people would actually find in a shop and what the teachers want to see represented. But in the real creation of the work, Tzotschew and her love for painting have been the sole artist of the mural.

“The main inspiration I took were murals from the Soviet Union and Mexico. They have really great mosaics and murals, especially made in the 20th Century,” said Tzotschew. “It is a lot of work, but it's been so many years in high school, in elementary school, and I'm still not comfortable with group projects, especially when it comes to art. I know in a professional setting, I might have to get over that with deadlines and whatnot, but while we're still in high school, I just want to do another solo project.”

Tzotschew’s passion for the arts stems from her childhood and seeing pieces done by masters of the fine arts. Through her appreciation for detailed work, she strives to make her own like it. Tzotschew also wants her mural to accurately depict what a shop would look like, as well as help get people involved in the program, not just glamorize the whole thing.

“It is very much a pro-worker, pro-human, and knowledge piece [the mural]. All throughout high school it seems like AI gets way more advanced or at least prevalent. And it's kind of taking over the humanities, which does include art,” said Tzotschew. "And there is always the fear that it's going take over other jobs. I don't know if it’ll ever replace mechanics, but it could. So I think for the time being, it is kind of like a love letter to human creation, human knowledge, and human labor.”