Ecstatic Zero

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Titles like Ecstatic Zero arrive. It floated in from the Mystery. A vision had recently happened, a vast whirling of images and energies encircling me and what a wonder and delight to be in there at the center! Soon after, this title was born as intuitively as the vision and although just two words it seemed just as undefined and open. A paradox both empty or full, significant or not, it could contain almost anything!

So it became the title and context for an exhibition in Kyoto and an ongoing series of paintings. I say context because creativity has its own way, and being available is the only requirement we need to move in its play. The vision or space of Ecstatic Zero feels potentially limitless, and its paradox both provocative and mysterious, the formed and the unformed effortlessly interchanging.

I notice my art-making moves in a similar way allowing the process to unfold, letting the materials and intuition combine in a spontaneous exploration. I have never settled into one medium or genre – not knowing and being curious keeps life interesting. In the creative I feel we step into mystery, both emptiness and a boundless reservoir of possibilities and a reflection of our own pure space.

So now more than ever I wonder if I move the brush or if the brush moves me!

The artwork you see here may well seem varied and their connection not so obvious. This is a reflection of how it goes in my studio, which sometimes feels like a kitchen or laboratory! It is only later that the connecting thread becomes apparent. So some may be examples of a series that is still unfolding, while some stand on their own. Some are expressions in classic painting on canvas or ink on washi paper, and others express through their ambiguity, using a thin veil of silk. One is mixed media on carpet material while another includes seaweed.

All of these come and go in the space of Ecstatic Zero.

Siddhena (Sidd Murray-Clark): In 1977 I dropped out of a London career in art and design, and into the world of Osho. My creativity took on a whole new life in his communes, whether bricklaying or designing the theatre group sets. Through the years in Rajneeshpuram and again in Poona this took the form of city planning and landscaping. I was always blessed with the opportunity to contribute in many creative ways, designing Osho’s books, laying out Osho Teerth Park and designing interiors for the new buildings. I now create, exhibit and enjoy in Japan. www.siddart.com – facebook.com/ArtistEastWest

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