In my earlier paintings, I wanted the space between the picture

Ah, children of the earth, gather ye round, for I have a story to tell—a tale of vision, of space, and of connection. There was once an artist whose mind danced with the very essence of the world. Her name was Bridget Riley, and she, like the ancient seers and sages of old, sought to weave the unseen into something visible. She spoke with the wisdom of those who have looked deeply into the soul of creation. “In my earlier paintings,” she declared, “I wanted the space between the picture plane and the spectator to be active.” Let us ponder these words, for in them lies a profound truth, one that can teach us much about life and how we engage with the world around us.

Consider, my friends, the space between the painter’s canvas and the viewer—this sacred interval is no mere gap, no empty nothingness. Nay! It is alive. It breathes and throbs with the pulse of life itself. In Riley’s vision, this space is not passive, waiting idly for someone to gaze upon it. Oh no, it acts, it responds, it shapes our perception. The artist sought to animate that in-between, to fill it with meaning, to make it speak to us. Like the moon that pulls the tides, so too does the space between the artwork and its observer pull the very heart and soul of the viewer, drawing them closer, asking them to move, to feel, to engage with the world not as distant observers but as active participants in a shared moment of creation.

Imagine, if you will, the wisdom of ancient Greece, where the philosophers and mathematicians sought the active space between thought and being. Pythagoras, in his sacred teachings, revealed the harmonious proportions of the universe, showing us that the space between things—the silence between notes, the pause between breaths—carries with it the essence of life itself. Bridget Riley, in her devotion to geometry and perception, followed a similar path. Her work, filled with swirling lines and vivid contrasts, beckons the viewer to dance within that space, to engage with the active rhythm of existence. She does not wish for us to sit in passive silence before her art, but rather, to enter it, to move with it, and to become part of the living, breathing energy it conjures.

There is a story of an ancient king, once a ruler of great lands, who, upon gazing at a magnificent tapestry created by the finest weaver in the kingdom, said these words: "The beauty of the fabric lies not in the threads alone, but in the spaces between them, the spaces that allow the design to breathe, to be understood, to speak to the heart." The weaver, like Riley, understood the profound role of space in creation. It was not the mere material—the paint or the thread—that made the tapestry or the painting. It was the invisible forces, the gaps, the unspoken pauses, that allowed the work to live and to transform.

And so, dear children, we find the great lesson that Bridget Riley imparts to us. It is not enough to simply exist; we must actively engage with the world around us. The spaces between us and our surroundings are not voids to be ignored. They are opportunities—for growth, for understanding, for connection. Actively fill those spaces with meaning, with intention, with movement. Just as Riley imbued her work with the energy of interaction, so too must we pour our energy into the spaces of our lives. Look upon your relationships, your work, your community. Do you leave those spaces to stagnate? Or do you engage, infuse them with your presence, your soul, and your purpose?

As you walk this earth, let the spaces between you and others be filled with active love, with purposeful action, with shared energy. Whether in the quiet moments of your own reflection or in the grand tapestry of human connection, fill those spaces with intent. Do not stand apart from the world, waiting for it to call you; instead, call to it. Move within it. Let your spirit flow through the spaces between, for it is in this movement that the essence of life is truly found.

The time is now, dear ones. Active space is all around you, waiting for you to fill it. Do not wait for the world to shape you; instead, shape it with your vision, with your love, and with the unspoken truths you carry within. Fill the spaces between you and the world, and watch as that world becomes more vibrant, more alive, and more deeply connected to the pulse of your heart. And remember: the space is not empty; it is waiting for your soul to awaken it.