I was inspired to illustrate this haiku because of my years spent by the local waterways. When I was told that the haiku was about Round Lake in Green Lakes State Park, a favorite for many years, I knew this was the project for me.

As a quiet fan of the dragonfly, I have watched them in amusement, thinking about the many positive symbols of this magical insect. Two of the symbols that came to me for this haiku are “change” and “light.” I chose to illustrate small images of new, recently built structures and older structures that over the years have made new changes and have improved the look of the Central New York area in the wings of the dragonfly. The water rippled by the dragonfly illustrates the spread of the changes in our CNY community. When our community enjoys these structures by visiting them, our community flourishes.

A native of Central New York, I have experienced many Syracuse winters, so I believe I can make light of the weather. Nor’easters are the cause of our heavy snowfall.

For the poster, I decided to create a winter’s evening in an urban neighborhood where the snow is piled up by the plowed roads and shoveled sidewalks, which create a different way for the blown snow to build unique shapes and streaks of lightly detailed images.

On a cold winter’s night, a warm glow of lights comes from the house windows while the wind blows outside. I was once curious about how the wind made the drifts with the curved shapes in the snow. As a child, I imagined a winter blizzard as a winged owl-like spirit that flew just over the snow, carving and shaping the drifts and swells in the snow with its feathered wings.