10 Questions with Darren Rea
Darren Rea is a Cree-Metis painter and poet based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, living, working and playing on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut'ina Nation, Stoney Nakoda Nations, and the Metis Nation of Alberta. His practice is rooted in a deep spiritual connection to nature, shaped by his upbringing near the Rocky Mountains and years of personal exploration through ceremony, meditation, and indigenous teachings.
Darren's work explores themes of presence, identity, and healing, inviting witnesses into a state of reflection, reconnection, and insight. Through intuitive symbolism and layered imagery, he illustrates the spirit that is present in all things.
His work is meant to invoke the knowing of the light within, offering a quiet yet powerful reminder of the sacredness found in the present moment, while simultaneously exploring the shared responsibility to co-create a reality in love, presence and wisdom.
Darren Rea - Portrait
“Within this very moment,
The spirit is everywhere, it is everything, within everyone.
We are all one.
& it is through our internal centre of mind, our heart, we find ineffable reality.
Anything is Possible.
World Peace is Possible.”
Promise & Spirit, Acrylic, 24x48 in, 2024 © Darren Rea
INTERVIEW
Let's start from the basics. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how growing up near the Rocky Mountains influenced your art?
Ever since I was a young boy, my family and I would venture out into the mountains for annual camping trips, hiking, biking, skiing, and mountain adventures. I remember the smell, the feeling, the ever-present longing and excitement that the mountains and the abundant nature thereof brought into my heart, mind and being. I am the youngest, with an older brother and an eldest sister, we all had our unique ways of being and living (my sister the artist, and my brother the engineer and EDM lover), but we all had the common love for exploration and being alive in the present moment. I feel I am the combination of both my sister's artistic affinity and my brother's intellectual one.
In saying this, I am certain that everything we experience as human beings shapes our mind and being in profound ways that aren't often evident, and it becomes who we are by nature. As in, there is no doubt that the experience of being on top of a mountain and looking out at the endless horizon to see mountain peaks and the tops of clouds has imprinted itself intothe depths of my psyche. How the feeling of being barefoot on the soft earth, jumping into the ice-cold Columbia River, and the simple beauty of sitting on a mossy forest floor shape a young mind.
Art is an expression of the deep inner world of the artist, and the creator that lives within every single one of us. Thus, through the years of living near the Rocky Mountains and the continual relationship with the land that is present today, it is not just something that influences my art – it is my art, for through me it is living and creating.
Mino-Pimatisiwin - The Good Life, Acrylic, 32x26 in, 2025 © Darren Rea
When did you first begin painting, and how did your connection to spirituality and ceremony shape your creative journey?
I first began seriously painting when I was 18. Spirituality was at the heart of why I started painting, as it was then that I felt I had so much inside myself that I didn't have the words to express. The only way I could get it out was through visual art, which could speak without words.
The first painting I did at this time was in my sister's backyard, under her big tree, and it was of a sunrise over the ocean on a small piece of art paper. It symbolised the beginning of a journey, the beginning of a day, a creation, a life that held within it infinite possibilities. Shortly after that, I went and picked myself up enough art supplies to keep me busy for the next few months, and I painted almost a painting a day with such fanaticism that I had about 40 original works complete within the first two months or so. Most of them feature a heart, a white heart to be precise, as within this moment, it is the white heart that symbolises pure love, unconditional love, love that is so deeply spiritual and ineffable, it can only be illustrated as pure white, any colour would take away from its essence. It may seem empty, but that is what it was, empty, yet simultaneously infinite, and full of light.
At this time, I was going through a sort of spiritual awakening, half caused by my youthful experimentation with psychedelic substances, and half because of the rigorous meditation practice that I adopted spontaneously through the terror of not knowing and needing something to ground myself. And it is through all that that I discovered the "pure unconditional love" inside that gave my terrified ego a reprieve from the onslaught of unbridled trauma-responses and fear. I then discovered that it is through the present moment, through pure presence, that true reality becomes known and fear disappears. All fear is based on a thought clinging to what might happen or could have happened, whereas in the present moment, when the mind rests in pure presence, a faith, an intuitive release of tension is felt. Thus, all my early art reflected this realisation, and it propelled me to create, also because I had this impending sense that I was going to die soon, and I needed to create as much art as I possibly could before that happened (soon is relative, but that sense was certainly present at this time of my life).
Sooner than later, I put down the psychedelics and substances, and was invited into ceremony, a deeply spiritual way of life that did not involve blasting the ego with [mostly natural] chemicals, but instead a humble, grounded, Indigenous way of reconnection, rebirth and transformation. This is now the driving force behind my most recent work, as I have been 'walking the red road' for about 5 years now. The imagery of ceremony can be seen throughout, or allusions to the way of life and experience of a ceremonialist.
I am still inspired by that vision to illustrate to the world love, wisdom, and spiritual realisation, but I do so now through a more earth-based blend of abstract and natural elements, bringing rich colour and brightness, I feel, that reflect the vibrant living traditions that still exist here on Turtle Island and around the world.
How do your Cree-Métis roots inform the way you see and express the world through your work?
Ancestry lives within us; it is within our blood, and it sometimes isn't something that is obvious when we are the ones living it. However, I always had that intuitive sense that I wasn't "white" like most of the children I grew up with. For I grew up in a colonial way, celebrating Christmas, easter, going to church as a young child, all those things – and it wasn't until later that I really picked up and embraced the culture of my ancestors. Yet maybe all along, as a child, it was that blood within me that moved me to love nature, love being on the land, love creating things with my hands that had a sacredness I could not quite pinpoint as a child. I knew that that little bundle of sticks and grass I gathered and formed into a small dome-shaped structure was sacred, but I did not know why or what; it just felt that way.
Today, it is a part of everything I do, the whole way of life I live now, is influenced by my experience living in the world as a Cree-Metis man. For the blood is within me, and all my ancestors watch and guide my hand. Those nudges, whispers, and insights into things unknown come from the spirit world, and our ancestors are often that bridge from this world tothat.
Sacred Fire – Heart of Humanity, Acrylic, 24x24 in, 2024 © Darren Rea
Your paintings often explore presence and healing. What do these themes mean to you personally?
Presence is awareness of the now. Now is where life is. It is only within the Now that we have the power and potential to influence the world and change the future. "The past is history, the future is a mystery, that is why we call it the present."Healing, then, is to peel away all the layers, break through all the inner barriers, and get to the heart of the moment, the light inside. Often that light is covered with our darkness, the baggage and trauma we carry around from a life lived here; it isn't always easy to heal, it is almost always hard. But it is the most important thing we can do as individuals, because when we heal, we aren't just healing ourselves, we are healing our relationships, the people around us, and the world as a collective. Thus, to forgive that person, let go of that baggage, and free us from ourselves is to be lighter and to have a greater capacity to love and be present in the world as our most authentic self. Personally, I view this as the meaning and purpose of life, to heal ourselves and the world as a whole, and ultimately come to the place of complete presence, which in essence is an experience of pure infinite creativity / potential, living and loving as an embodiment/instrument of the Creator.
Can you describe your creative process? How does a painting begin and evolve?
Every creation is different, whether it be a poem or a painting, it unfolds true to its spirit, as I feel every creation, everything, is imbued with spirit and life. As the artist, I must simply let go and let the painting reveal itself. When something is missing, I see it, and I must do my best to replicate the spirit that is showing itself through the inner eye, through the eye of the creator. Sometimes I get a vision of a painting in a meditation or during a spontaneous moment – and it is then that I must get the canvas and begin painting. Other times, I just feel the intense creative pull, the intense necessity to paint and create something, and I set the stage by getting the canvas in front of me, along with the paint and brushes, and then I just have to let go into that creative flow. The more I let go, the more ecstatic and blissful the experience becomes. The more I let go, the more freedom I feel. The flow fuses with the body, and the painting becomes alive, shifting and changing with the brush strokes, and only once the painting is fully complete or at least to a point where it can rest a moment, does the flow return to the heart where it came.
Sometimes a painting is complete in one sitting, sometimes the body becomes too exhausted, and it must rest before more gets done. Then I must surrender again, once rejuvenated, to get the ego out of the way so the painting can experience the fulfilment of its destiny.
The only time a painting leaves my studio, or my home, is when it is complete, all the ones in my home and still within the domain of creativity from which they were born, are still changing, or can change. They are all evolving still, as even if a painting returns home having once been complete, it may very well be re-immersed in the infinite creative potential from which it came, and evolve some more.
What role does intuition play in your use of colour, form, and symbolism?
Intuition is everything. I mean, it is the intuitive knowing that guides the hand, guides the eye, and guides every movement. And it is through this intuitive knowing that everything unfolds. Yet sometimes I am caught off guard, for maybe I thought the tube of paint I picked up was black paint but it comes out white, then sometimes there is an instant of "Ooops" but an instant later that same intuition says "everything is meant to be, flow with it", and the 'mistake' actually becomes an integral part of the painting and its process of revealing itself. Sometimes, "I" may think I know what the painting is supposed to look like, but that is just ego; sometimes the painting has a different vision for itself, and it is that intuitive spirit that helps guide my hand to not force an idea, but surrender into a reality.
Two Camps, Acrylic, 12x36 in, 2024 © Darren Rea
Upper Kananaskis Lake, Acrylic, 16x40 in, 2024 © Darren Rea
You often speak about "the light within." How do you translate that idea into visual form?
I see the light within as inseparable from the light outside – for there is ultimately no separation between within and without, merely just the bounds of the body, but the entire outer world is an experience within the mind, within the senses. Thus, all visual form reflects that inner light, just as the sunshine in the sky is a near-perfect reflection of the sunshineinside all our hearts, so too is the light painted a reflection of the light within. Every star in the sky, every star painted, has a distinct personality, reflecting another aspect of who we are, just as the darkness does. A shadow painted is a mere reflection of a shadow inside, and the shadow is not "bad"; the shadow gives depth and beauty to the painting. We cannot paint a painting without the use of shadow or colour, and the only way to paint a white heart is for it to be surrounded by something not white. Everything is one, there is no separation, and ultimately, this reality is something found in all art everywhere, not just the art created through me. All art reflects the inner world of the artist, and all I can do is help create a vision of a world full of peace, joy, love, beauty and all things that can help shape our collective journey from where we are now to a world where we all can love and respect one another.
What do you hope people feel or experience when they encounter your work?
I hope people feel a sense of inspiration, or awe, or a deep spiritual recognition that triggers them to reflect on their own knowing, or truth. For I feel that we are all on a spiritual journey, whether we acknowledge it or not – and if my work can be a part of their journey home, maybe even a signpost pointing them in the right direction, I am happy and grateful for having the opportunity to create that. Thus, I hope this work can help usher in the age of peace, the time in human history where all humans stop for a moment and begin to see one another with eyes of understanding and love. Where our consciousness evolves beyond the "sin" and "ego" of our past, and instead becomes grounded in the spiritual reality of knowing all is equal, alive, and One.
Wisakedjak, Acrylic, 24x24 in, 2024 © Darren Rea
How do poetry and painting connect in your practice? Do they inform each other?
Most paintings I create have a poem attached to them, or a piece of writing. Often, it is the painting that comes first, and the poem is more a way to help the viewer connect with the piece. Usually poetry is the in-between, the creative practice I do when I am not painting, to help channel that creative spirit. Sometimes poetry is the main event, like when I perform live, and instead I use the poem as a means to paint a picture within the minds of those listening. The words are the brush strokes, and the mind is the canvas. Thus, yes, I do believe they inform each other, as every work leads to the next, and often it is those moments of deep reflection, where a poem may or may not be coming alive, that a vision for a new painting comes about – or a renewed sense of inspiration unfolds.
Creativity is infinite, and sometimes the distinction between what is poetry and what is painting is blurred, and the poetry becomes a part of the art. Sometimes I write words onto a painting, and in that they are one and the same.
And lastly, what projects or directions are you currently exploring, and what do you hope to create next?
I am exploring ways of reaching the world that are contemporary, novel and have only recently become available for artists. Such as the use of the digital ecosystem to deliver and essentially showcase art to millions of people all over the world without having to leave my own home. I am playing with digital billboards and the ability to influence and shape minds all the way across the planet. I see art as a means of influence, to shape our collective consciousness, and thus, the more people I can reach, the more people I can influence to see something they may have never seen. Thus, I have been "vibe coding" my own website, which includes a 3d art gallery to help reach this audience and bring something never seen to the world. Using a mix of traditional social media, while also leveraging all the tools available today to profoundly impact and 'change the world.'
My vision for what I want to create next is to help create World Peace, with many smaller creations along the way, that issomething I am okay with taking my whole life to create.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
