To Those Who Shall Sit Here . . .

This plaque, on a bench at the highest elevation of Cornell University's Plantations, overlooks a broad and peaceful valley stretching into the misty distance.  The inscription, from 1892, is attributed to Andrew Dickson White, co-founder of Cornell, and his wife Helen Magill White.

I often sit on this bench, even in winter, and reflect on how sweet, compassionate and eternal the words are. In my view there is nothing else as powerful as this statement about the universality of human experience, in all the recorded quotes of all time.

Artistic/Technical notes: In this image I added background texture to emphasize the plaque. I also have the same image without the textured background.  This was a difficult piece, precisely because of its emotional power.  I wanted to display the message, but also show the bench to give a sense of the setting for these words.  I continue to work on this one with a variety of different approaches.
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