Although I'm from Pittsburgh, I have a strong Syracuse connection because my dad went to SU and my parents lived in Syracuse before I was born. I chose this poem because I love drawing animals and because it allowed for a lot of artistic freedom. I biked downtown and took pictures of my favorite places. I ultimately chose Columbus Circle because there are beautiful buildings all around. Every time I took a picture of the statues there was a bird on his head. I thought it was funny, so I kept it in the painting. I liked painting the beautiful cityscape and adding a quirky character. The last thing I did was put the Syracuse hat on the frog. For some reason I draw a lot of animals wearing hats. So I thought the frog needed one too.