What the Meek Inherit:  A Reflection on the Course of Empire.  Oil on canvas.  24 by 48 inches.  Gallery wrap.  Completed February 2023.

Thomas Cole's 'Course of Empire' inspired at least the title of this work.  Even in the early 1800's (1833-1836 to be specific) Cole could see where unrestrained industrialization was heading and attempted to sound the alarm with this and much of his other work.  He is not the only one, of course.  Artists, naturalists, scientists, and humanitarians before and after Cole have been warning us.  And here we are,177 years later, possibly having set in motion forces that will make our home planet unfit for human habitation, still slogging forward with blinders on.

The painting envisions the day when the meek inherit the earth, as it says in the Beatitudes.  The Mennonites and Amish are to me the quintessential expression of meekness.  They also are famous for their work ethic, which they will need once the rest of us are through sucking the planet dry.  God help them--and God forgive us.