Vicky Cardwell Balcou

Fort Worth native, Vicky Cardwell Balcou, was fortunate to have been born into an artistic family. Both of her parents, Norman Douglas and Marguerite Knight Cardwell, were artists/designers/teachers. She grew up in the Reeder Children’s School of Theater and Design, where her mother, a classmate of Dickson Reeder, taught art. In this context, she enjoyed the creative influences of the artists of the Fort Worth Circle, including Flora
Reeder, Dickson’s wife and creative partner, Olive Pemberton, Cynthia Brants, Bill Bomar, McKie Trotter, Reilly Nail, Jean Banks, Gwen Tandy and Earnest Chilton.

At the Fort Worth Art Center, Vicky studied with Bror Utter, Dickson Reeder, and David Brownlow. Well-known watercolorist and teacher, Beatrice Dunning, guided Vicky and her fellow Paschal High School students, Hal Normand, Sally Morris, Jane Doneghe and many others, to strive for excellence in their skills.

Vicky earned her B.A. of Fine Arts at U.T. in Austin. She studied with Everett Spruce, Loren Mozley, William Lester, Charles Umlauf and Ralph White. While pursuing her successful career in commercial art, advertising, illustration and product design, she studied painting with Bill Komodore and drawing with Ellen Soderquist. Her work has been shown at several Dallas galleries.

Vicky is now living in Bastrop, Texas, painting, showing and teaching art.

Tina Woodruff and Vicky Balcou from Art After X on Vimeo.

A visit with Tina Woodruff and Vicky C. Balcou in Bastrop, Texas