Today we’d like to introduce you to Darla Bostick.
Hi Darla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Darla is a Denton, TX resident with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas Tech University. She has been involved in the arts since that time as an art educator in IA, AZ, NM, MO, KS and TX. In her personal work she finds the greatest challenge and satisfaction in watercolor and photography. Love of travel is evidenced primarily in her photographic images which later inspire paintings in watercolor or mixed media. Since painting on site is not always convenient when traveling, Darla uses her camera as a sketchbook to capture the colors of a region, its architecture, unique landscapes and the people’s daily lives. She has traveled to 85+ countries. This love of travel initiated her annual Art Adventures Abroad where she takes very small groups with her as they learn how to record images through photography, sketches, collage and painting as they create a fun travel journal. She has twice served as President of the Society of Watercolor Artists in Fort Worth 2010-2014 and 2020-2022 and has earned signature status in several art associations nationally.
Darla has been involved in the public art works of Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Lewisville, Southlake, Frisco, Denton and San Marcos in Texas and Washington, D.C. and Johnson City, TN. Projects, photos and descriptions can be found on her website.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Sharing a love for art a dream was realized to combine art and travel.
Darla is active as a painter, photographer and instructor for several art associations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Any given month her art work is in public view and has been shown at museums, galleries, theatres, banks, restaurants, hospitals, a television station, a garden nursery gallery, meditation centers, coffee houses, a courthouse, civic governmental building and even a car dealership. Recognized as a painter/educator, she has also judged art venues.
In 2008 Darla began what has become an annual week-long workshop/retreat at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM using un-traditional techniques in watercolor. This fall workshop/retreat combines photography, watercolor and mixed medias. It has attracted artists in the US from coast to coast, Canada, Scotland, New Zealand and England. In addition to workshops in Texas and New Mexico, Darla has taught workshops in Arizona, Missouri and Kansas.
In 2015 she began her Art Adventures Abroad with a 2-week program in Spain…one week in a villa on the coast and one week in Barcelona. In 2016 her group recorded life in Portugal, 2017 in Ireland, 2018 to Denmark and Germany, 2019 to France and again in 2022 and 2024. In 2023 the Art Abroad group travelled to Italy and in 2025 Belgium and the Netherlands were added as destinations. 2026 will see us in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands! In 2027 we are back to France and in 2028 we are off to Marakesh, Morrocco!
Workshops for art associations have been provided to the Topeka Art Association in Kansas, to Wise County Art Asso in Decatur, TX and in Waco to the Central Texas Watercolor Society.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Darla regularly participates in solo exhibits for watercolor, mixed media and photography throughout the North Texas area and her art work has appeared in several publications, web pages and television. She has been published in “Art Educator”, “Zentangle 9”, “Best of America Watercolor Artists & Artisans, Vol. I”, “Art Folio 2020,A Curated Collection of the World’s Most Exciting Artists, Vol 1, ”on the covers of “Denton Connection” and “Denton Scramble” magazines and work has been chosen numerous times for calendars by Visual Arts Society of Texas and Irving Art Association. Each year she publishes a calendar of her own that shares her paintings. Her major emphasis is color, line and texture. Her work currently hangs in private collections worldwide. Darla’s work has been included in juried national and international exhibitions in TX, CA, LA, NM, OK, AR, KS, NC, AZ, MN, RI, NC, FL, MS, PA, AK and Canada with some awards along the way!
Earning “Best of Show” in the Lake Granbury Art Association’s juried show was a highlight. Also noted for Honorable Mention in the Alaska International Exhibition. My art work is known for the use of color. Allowing the paint to blend on the paper allows the watercolor to do what it loves most…mix and mingle!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My husband has always been supportive of my art. When I teach my week-long workshop/retreats at Ghost Ranch it is always rewarding to see some who return!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darlabostick.com/
Image Credits
All of the art work and photographs are my own.
