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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our view: The wolves' way ... Readings of new plays by local playwrights featured ... Ticket availability ... Our view: The wolves' way ... Readings of new plays by local playwrights featured ... Ticket availability ... QUILLS & QUEUES Adelante! Gallery showcases Zenga Comment By Angela Decker For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Angela Decker For the Tidings Posted Apr. 16, 2015 at 6:43 PM Updated Apr 16, 2015 at 7:03 PM By Angela Decker For the Tidings Posted Apr. 16, 2015 at 6:43 PM Updated Apr 16, 2015 at 7:03 PM » Social News It's going to be a beautiful weekend for lovers of Asian art, theater, and philosophy. Coinciding with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's opening week of “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land,” a contemporary Chinese drama, Adelante! Gallery in Ashland is exhibiting Zenga, or Zen-inspired paintings, by artist Jeb Barton. The exhibit will feature a free, informal public lecture by the artist from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 19.  Zenga is a Japanese term for a style of meditative calligraphy and painting, done in ink. Often, a piece will contain both calligraphy and an image. The calligraphy is usually a phrase or haiku poem that teaches some element of the Zen path. The brush paintings are simple, bold and abstract.  Barton has been studying philosophy, practicing his art, teaching and writing for more than 45 years. He is the winner of an international book award for his haiku poetry. He says his art is a means of communicating his deeply held beliefs. “These paintings are about the art of living. Zenga has us all look inward. It is not about spirituality, it is about aliveness and feeling, something I call a 'felt sense,'” he said. “Felt sense is masked in the West. We've traded it for sensations, instant gratification, ” he added.  Barton says his work, like theater, poetry and other art forms, is designed to connect people with very deep parts of themselves. As an example, he shares a phrase in one of his Zen paintings:  There is a stillness into which the world cannot intrude  “That is what I am talking about," said Barton. “The message is not about isolation, but a way to be in the world. Art can help us be in the world authentically centered and in more skillful ways.”  Zenga has been practiced for more than 2,000 years. Zen monks brought this style of brushwork from China to Japan in the 14th century. Many of the paintings are created with only a single brush stroke. The work is then expanded through various techniques of adding water to the handmade Xuan paper. Barton emphasizes that the single brush stroke is directed in part by the phrase or haiku. “It is the essence of the verse, an intuitive understanding of the phrase, or rather the mystical territory within the words, that guides the brush and creates a visual experience,” he said.  In addition to the public lecture, the producing sponsors of the “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land” arranged for a group of more than 20 patrons from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco to travel to Ashland to see Barton's work and attend a private lecture on Zen painting. They also attended the opening night of “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land” earlier this week.  The exhibition of Barton's work has a limited run, from Wednesday, April 15, through Thursday, April 23. Adelante! Gallery is at 130 E. Main St., Ashland (on the deck with Starbucks). For information about this and other exhibits, visit www.adelantegallery.com.  Angela Decker is a freelance writer in Ashland and can be reached at [email protected].   By Angela Decker For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Angela Decker For the Tidings Posted Apr. 16, 2015 at 6:43 PM Updated Apr 16, 2015 at 7:03 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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