We had the good fortune of connecting with Darla Bostick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darla, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The problem for me when I was choosing a major in college was I had three major interests. My freshman year I took courses applying to each of them–botany, art and journalism. I found loved all 3 equally…and still do so. I settled in with a major in art and a minor in education. From childhood I always thought I would be a teacher and so upon graduation I became an art teacher for grades 6-8. I also taught stained glass classes at our home. When we began our family, being an at-home Mom was fulfilling (and I could still teach my home classes).
After the nest emptied I found time to resume art for myself as well to travel abroad. Eight years later I began teaching my UN-traditional watercolor workshop/retreats (primarily in New Mexico) and later expanded to my Art Adventures Abroad Workshop/Retreats.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Watercolor and photography are my two loves. When I come home from travel I bring along thousands of images. The majority of my paintings are a result of those images.
Watercolor is unique. It has a life of it’s own as it dances across the paper. Unlike acrylic or oil paints, mistakes can rarely be painted over. It is that challenge that drew me to this medium. The brilliance of the colors can be seen in my work. I rarely mix colors on a palette. Rather, I allow the pigments to mix on the paper.
It is this purity of color that I am most well-recognized for in my paintings.
I am adamant that the image must be totally self-created. In a world where images are so easily “stolen” from images on the internet I stress above all to my students that the initial image (photograph) must be theirs.
It was this belief that led me to begin my art workshop/retreats. I saw too many people painting from calendar pictures or things from National Geographic, etc. I realized no one was teaching artists how to capture their OWN images from which to paint.
I put together plans to organize a week-long workshop away from home. The idea was to take people away from their daily routine, away from the television and other things that clutter our creative thinking. I promoted this idea and in 2008 I had 8 others who met me in Santa Fe, NM for a week of creative immersion.
Since that time I have organized my own workshops in NM, AR and MO. This fall I am leading my 19th art workshop/retreat at Ghost Ranch in NM.
In 2015 I decided to combine my love of travel with art and began my Art Adventure Abroad. By creating our own travel journals those travelling art workshop/retreats have allowed me to take my groups to Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, France and Italy. In 2025 a trip to Belgium and Holland is planned.
It is fun to do these workshops, but extremely time intensive to plan them. In fact, I spend more hours actually planning, making reservations, promoting, etc than the actual retreat takes.
At the end of the day, I hope others will know of me for combining my sincere passion of art with everything I take on.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite place in the world is my backyard. My experience as a Master Gardener combined with my love of art is the masterpiece right here. My mosaic columns and hanging adornments, painted birdhouses, murals, sculptures and more give me more joy than visiting about in the area. To sit in the gazebo and watch all the animals while listening to the lovely birdsong is what I consider the “best time ever.”
However, living in Denton provides the ability to take advantage of the Fort Worth gardens and livestock activities while at the same time, Dallas offers much also.
But at the end of the day, a glass of wine or margarita as I sit in the gazebo is my Heaven on Earth.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many who have encouraged me to do what makes me happy. My parents sent me to college even when it was tough financially. In college when I spent nights in the art building pulling silk screens or weekend afternoons at the potter’s wheel, my boyfriend (an engineer major of all things) went along for company, support and safety. He became my husband and best friend and always stood behind my undertakings. It is hard to support ones’ self as an artist. Thankfully, I never had to go it alone.
When our kids left home I left my life as the scout leader, booster club president, softball coach and rotated to focus on my personal growth. The art associations in my community gave me the comradery, instruction through meeting demos, and opportunity to show my work.

Website: https://www.darlabostick.com

Other: I hope your viewers will visit my website as it not only shows how I create my work, but also shares news of upcoming workshop/retreats (both in the US as well as abroad).

Image Credits
all the photos are my own with the exception of the ones showing me teaching

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.