Zen Art

Barrett has been practicing Soto Zen for almost 25 years, and he went through Lay Ordination in the year 2000 at the Detroit Street Zen Center in Los Angeles, California. There he studied and practiced with the Reverend Dr. Yuko Conniff, a retired surgeon and Zen master, who still teaches Zen meditation and philosophy at the center. After 5 years of direct training at Detroit Street, he went on to study at the Albuquerque Zen Center for another 5 years while he attended graduate school at the University of New Mexico. There he took classes in the art of Zen painting, known as “Zenga,” and he developed his own unique style of sculpting. The photos below show a series of “Enso” (circle) sculptures and paintings, all of which were created over the last decade.

EARTH ENSO - Hammered Clay With Gold Leaf — EARTH ENSO – Hammered Clay With Gold Aggregate Leaf

WATER ENSO - Hammered Clay With Gold Leaf — WATER ENSO – Hammered Clay With Gold Aggregate Leaf

FIRE ENSO - Hammered Clay With Gold Leaf — FIRE ENSO – Hammered Clay With Gold Aggregate Leaf

MOON ENSO – Hammered Clay With Silver Leaf

EMPTINESS ENSO - Hammered Clay With Black Acrylic Paint — SUNYATA/EMPTINESS ENSO – Hammered Clay With Black Acrylic Paint

SUN ENSO - Hammered Clay With Gold Leaf — SUN ENSO – Hammered Clay With Cooper Leaf

MOON ENSO - Hammered White Clay — MOON ENSO – Hammered White Clay

FIRE ZENGA - Acrylic Paint On Paper — FIRE ENSO – Acrylic Paint On Paper

3 ZENGAS - Acrylic Paint On Card Stock — 3 ENSOS – Acrylic Paint On Card Stock

ZEN PATHWAYS - Acrylic Paint On Card Stock — PATHWAY – Acrylic Paint On Card Stock

10,000 STONES - Acrylic Paint On Canvas — THE 10,000 THINGS – Acrylic Paint On Canvas