Part of my "Futurescape" group of sculptures, this piece reflects my fears about global climate change.

It depicts a man sitting in a city park that has been devastated. Not a single tree still lives, and even the ground is hot. The man is sitting in a position that makes one think of the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The figures' pose is obviously a reference to "The Thinker." True, the man is deep in thought, but there is also a not so obvious reference. Rodin made “The Thinker” several times. The FIRST time he made “The Thinker” it was as part of his mammoth undertaking "The Gates of Hell." By referencing Rodins’ thinker, I am not only honoring Rodins’ work, but also suggesting that our earth may, indeed, be going through those gates, and becoming that very hot place.

This sculpture is: 9in high x 12in wide x 9in deep.

It is made of wood & pewter (with brass fasteners). It is painted red & black (red symbolizing heat, black symbolizing death). It includes pieces of coal, representing the cause of the calamity.

This sculpture ships free to the contiguous 48 US states. If you need to have it shipped somewhere else, let me know the address, and I can give you a shipping quote.

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I am not an optimist. I do not believe that human kind will solve this problem in time. To do so would require the climbing two preverbal mountains by decision makers all over the world.

The first mountain is finding the wisdom to accept the teachings of Bill McKibben and other environmentalists.

The second peak is to ACT, decisively, effectively ... and to do it NOW. That is, undertake LARGE SCALE, WORLDWIDE activities to end the burning of coal by human beings. Yes, please do something about burning other fossil fuels too, but coal is the monster.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this sculpture will be donated to https://350.org, Bill McKibbens’ not for profit.

If you don’t purchase this sculpture, please make your own contribution to https://350.org, or to a similar organization.

I am not optimistic .... I fear for my children, I fear for my grandchildren. PLEASE prove me wrong.

*Per the teachings of Bill McKibben (and others), I believe that the burning of coal by human beings will result in the near total devastation of life on our planet. True, the current, large scale burning of other fossil fuels is also terrible for earth, but worldwide, coal is the monster.

This sculpture has been SOLD.