I am a veteran. After I served, I struggled with mental illness. I did not get the help I needed. I wrote down what I went through, and it helped.

Then I shared my work online and asked other people for their stories. More than 1,000 people sent words about mental illness, PTSD, addiction, and other hard times. Their words are the angel.

She rises above a ruined city. The five skulls below are the Five Poisons of Buddhism: illusion, envy, attachment, anger, and pride. Pain can start in all of these places. Like the angel, a person can rise above it.

This is the original drawing. It took six months.

There is also a signed limited edition print: From the Ashes, We Rise, Limited Edition Print.

Have a question? I am happy to help. Send me a note.

I asked friends what truth is and how people see it. Then I asked how we see reality. I spent four months reading religion, philosophy, and science.

The drawing is my wife’s eye. I drew it with micron pens, dark to light. The ohm is in the pupil.

From far away it looks like a photograph. Up close, different words jump out.

As you are looking at truth, truth is looking back at you.

Have a question? I am happy to help. Send me a note.

About 1,000 people wrote about who the Obamas were. They wrote about how the Obamas inspired them and the parts of the administration that meant the most.

Those words are the drawing. This is the original. 32 by 26 inches.

Have a question? I am happy to help. Send me a note.