Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche is a respected Tibetan-American lama and sand mandala artist.

Over a week, two lamas, a translator, and I completed the Mandala of Compassion. They kindly advised on my technique and gave me one of their brass tools. It was the experience of a lifetime.

This Chinese-style dragon was done over two windy days at Rochester's Clothesline Festival in 2014.

Because of the wind, I had to position my tool several centimeters into the direction of the wind to compensate and estimate where each grain would fall.

The Phoenix is one of the most widely spread images in the world's religious and mythical stories. Perhaps it is because rising from the ashes of loss or disappointment is a universal experience.