The first recorded usage of the phrase Et In Arcadia Ego was in the painting below (left) by Guercino. A good reminder that there are hard limits on human existence, the phrase reminds me to make art instead of spending time on other, lesser things.

Years ago, I was surprised to find Et In Arcadia? inscribed on a concrete sculpture by Manfred May, a now-deceased local artist whose work is a major source of inspiration. Themes of mortality, animism, reverence for nature, liminal places, and change are central to my art (center).