I've always loved the intricate patterns found in illuminated manuscripts, illustrated Korans, and Persian rugs. I created these images by going out in nature and taking photos specifically for use as raw material for my hand-crafted mandalas. Starting from one of my photographs, I “hand-craft” an image by choosing a “tile” of the photo to work into a finished image. In selecting the tiles, I try to choose colors, textures, and patterns that will result in an intriguing image, but I’m never quite sure where the process is taking me until the whole image coalesces.