KARLA DAROCAS, B.A. (Hons) Freelance Educator Since 1990

"Excellent illuminating lecture as usual. Informative and interesting, with excellent visuals. Great to be able to join in from the UK via zoom. Karla teaches with accessible language and her lectures are packed with information. I recommend her lessons.  * Nicola Clark - U.K.

"I was absolutely overwhelmed with this art we saw today in Karla's class. The still life particularly I found beautiful and lifelike. The history behind these paintings was enlightening and very interesting.  I learn so much from these lectures, very fulfilling. Karla's incredible depth of knowledge and exciting teaching style makes the whole experience very memorable . I Absolutely recommend her classes."  * Floradiane Santiago - Jávea

"Karla's lecture on 17th century Spanish baroque profane painting opened my eyes on painters known for their religious art (Velazquez, Ribera...).  We learned about other themes developed at the time: "everyday" life, poor children living in poverty because of the plague, still-life paintings popular with the "tourists" of the time.  A combination of art and history makes for an interesting and informative lecture. Bravo Karla." * Jo Jous, Denia

"It is timely indeed that Karla should write a book re-evaluating the role of dogs in Spanish art and culture.  This current Covid lockdown has led to many of us deciding that we need dogs in our lives for companionship and for exercise.  Yet again, the role of the dog in our society is being looked at afresh.  Karla’s book traces how the symbiotic relationship between human and dog goes back at least to Neolithic times.  There is much evidence such as the careful and dignified burial of owner and dog together in many ancient cultures to suggest that dogs were, as Karla observes, seen as part wild, part human and part divine.   Some ancients saw dogs as having healing powers leading to dogs being laid on to the bodies of sick people or to lick wounds.  Small dogs were bred to be companions to children whereas 90 kg mastiffs in armour performed a valuable role in battle.  The Romans at least were not averse to dog sacrifice to ensure a good harvest.   In many ways Karla demonstrate

Karla’s latest book Spanish Dogs is an extensive history of dogs from prehistoric times until the present day.  A couple of things stand out in my mind, after having read this book. For example, I never knew that dogs, mainly Mastiffs, were used during times of war during the Middle Ages. Clad in armour they would charge at the horses during cavalry brandishing on their backs canisters of burning resin which would spook the horses and bring them down along with the enemy soldiers on their backs. I also found the origin of the lapdog, or toy dog, at the end of the Middle Ages to be very interesting. Because of their small size these dogs would be welcomed in the family home and be depicted in portraits. They would also be used as bed warmers and to attract the fleas away from their very unhygienic owners for whom a bath was a rarity and related to prostitution.  Here’s a fun fact from this book! The winter months made it too cold for bathing, therefore being delayed until the Spring, wh

Karla Ingleton Darocas is based in Benitachell on Spain’s Costa Blanca. On her website, SpainLifestyle.com , she describes herself as: An educator with a passion to inspire and facilitate a lust to learn. Karla has a BA (Hons), and is also a photographer, author and Spanish Fine Arts Historian. She’s also a self-confessed dog lover, with two rescue dogs, Venus and Mars.  Her latest book, Spanish Dogs: The Story of Dogs in Spanish History, Culture and the Arts, is a testament to Karla’s love of dogs, the arts, and all things connected to her adopted homeland, Spain. From the first sentence, I was hooked, because I share Karla’s passion for dogs and Spanish culture. I also firmly believe that once you stop learning, you stop living, and there’s a lot of learning packed into the 70 pages of this book. Don’t let that put you off though – Karla has a wonderful way with words that makes absorbing knowledge a pleasure, and she also has a great sense of humour. Describing how court painters Ve

"It is because Karla cares so much that she was so worried about how her lectures would work in the new virtual environment - well she needn't have.  Her Sacred Baroque lecture delivered over Zoom was just as engaging and thought-provoking as any other I have attended.   In fact, Karla made good use of the technology by going close up on features of the paintings so we could see and learn more about what some of the symbols and icons meant. We otherwise might have missed these details.  She also put paintings side by side so we could compare them and see how different artists tackled the exact same subject, showing us how artists evolved in terms of their skill and to reflect changing trends.   As always, we saw history through the eyes of the artists and given that many artists she covered were painting at the time of their own pandemic hundreds of years ago - this had a particular piquancy.   Highly recommended and I can't wait for the next one." * Christine Wood -

"As usual, Karla combines history, to explain the context of the times, and the pictorial techniques, to help us better "read" a painting. She talks about the painters' lives, their travels, motivations and influences.  Altogether, this makes for a very interesting and informative lecture. In this case, the evolution of Spanish baroque religious painting.  I am looking forward to the next lecture on Spanish baroque profane painting. Karla is very knowledgeable in Spanish culture and history. I recommend Karla Darocas teachings" * Jo Jouas, Denia

"Well, I must admit that I have never given any thought to the representation of dogs in art. As the owner of two Spanish dogs, I will now.  From prehistoric through to the 20th century, Karla guides us in interpreting the art, and also engages us to understand better the roles that dogs played in daily life.   Karla writes in an engaging fashion, and brings the subject to life very well. I often judge people based on how they treat their animals; now I’ll be both noticing, and interpreting the dogs I see in art.  I always enjoy the opportunity to increase my appreciation and understanding of art, and this book has opened a new window for me to look through." Chris Newkirk * Las Peñitas, Nicaragua https://spanisharthistory.blogspot.com/2023/08/spanish-dogs-story-of-dogs-in-spanish.html  

"There are tons of books on "Dogs", so what makes Karla's book stand out? I would even say, what makes it exceptional? It is the first book on dogs in Spanish history and culture. How she chooses to present them appeals to me greatly - through artefacts and Spanish Art. Her time period spans from the time of the Neanderthals to modern times. She speaks of the working dog, the dogs of war, and lapdogs. Her illustrations go from religious art to court paintings. We discover famous painters and their relation to dogs (from Goya to Picasso). Her book is very detailed. What makes it interesting to read are the many stories and anecdotes that accompany the information. With her artistic background, Karla leads us into a painting, draws our attention to something we would not necessarily see by ourselves, and explains the "why and how". I strongly recommend Karla's book for those who love dogs, Spanish history and culture, and/or Spanish art. Her writing style