Paintings of the Word
The Denver community was swept off its feet this past weekend with a public showing of a series of paintings by Catherine Ichinohe, a highly talented painter in the community. Her series, entitled “Paintings of the Word” is an inspiration she received several years ago and which she began to bring into substantial reality about three years ago. Her initial vision was for 40 panels depicting key elements of the Divine Principle. The panels were conceived as an educational tool which could hopefully be used by exhibitions and churches of various faiths, not only of our own Church.
She has since condensed her project to a total of 21 panels, 12 of which have now been completed. Her gift and talent radiate through the multiple layers of meaning in each stunning painting in the series. The series begins with a panel titled: “In the Beginning” which pulls you in to the very beginning of God’s work of creation. The masculine and feminine aspects of God are expressed repeatedly throughout the series, as well as God’s intentional design of everything in creation. True Father and Mother’s words are expressed, as well as Bible passages as they relate to each panel. The later panels which she is now working to complete will depict the key messages of the Divine Principle, somewhat reminiscent of the Stations of the Cross which have been displayed for centuries in many Christian churches.
The paintings are done in oil, each taking from several weeks to several months to complete, depending upon the complexity of the panel and many other factors. Each finished work is displayed on a lighted easel with text to describe the meaning of that painting and the words of True Parents and the Bible which are the basis for the inspiration.
Many of the members and guests who viewed the exhibit were left speechless, expressing their belief that these paintings will become famous one day, both inside of our Unificationist culture and out. Her mastery of color and detail made the inspiration jump off the canvas.
The Colorado Family Church recently converted their Sanctuary into a multi-purpose room, removing the pews and replacing them with comfortable interlocking chairs. The chairs can easily and quickly be removed, opening the entire room for events such as this exhibit. Other renovations are planned. Future showings of the paintings will see continued improvements in the display plus more panels until all 21 are completed.
Article written by Dr. D. Michael Hentrich
