The following exerpt from an essay on the Trinity was written by Debby Toppliff.

Rick Beerhorst, an American artist, recently completed “Self Portrait,” a religious painting that poses questions about societal and psychological relationships, both human and divine. In the painting the artist looks into a mirror in order to paint his own portrait. The center of the painting contains three triad-like images of the artist. On the wall behind hang some of his earlier works. Most prominent is a mother-of-God image of a woman, in this case the artist’s wife, with the Christ child visible within her. She spreads her cloak to shelter six figures--her five children plus her husband, a fourth image of Beerhorst himself. As in all mystical paintings, this image defies logic, yet God is clearly present within the Mary figure, incarnate in flesh. The husband takes refuge under the protection of the mother of God who has also given birth to his children. The center of the painting is the artist’s hand. As he paints his own image, is he also painting the image of God within him? The slant of the easel and the hands of the clock move the viewer’s eyes to the Christ child. This provocative work ponders the psychological elements of personality and the different roles we play. Although the only person of the Trinity in obvious attendance is the baby Jesus, the threeness of the painting suggests the unseen presence of the Triune God.

STUDIOBEERHORST

paintings (request price list via email) > Pearl with a Pink Rose, 8"x10"