Born and raised in the Oakdale area, Larry Hogwood often finds a way to incorporate his surroundings in to his artwork.
Many of his paintings feature the Stanislaus River and the familiar rock outcroppings along the river in Knights Ferry, while others focus on horses. He also has done paintings that feature iconic Yosemite scenes and said he has been doing art since he was about four years old.
It’s primarily a hobby, something he enjoys doing, but he also recently sold one of his paintings, a piece that was accepted into a prestigious traveling show. It would have been on display at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock when the show arrived in Stanislaus County but was sold before the show got here.
“I like just doing stuff that’s interesting,” he said of choosing subjects for his paintings, adding that his true payback is when “someone looks at your work, walks away and then comes back” to look again.
The longtime Oakdale resident and OHS alum said he did take some art classes at Modesto Junior College but is mostly self-taught.
He worked for many years at Sysco Foods while he and his wife Peni raised two children; he was able to devote more time to his art once the kids were grown. His preferred medium is acrylic and even though he did do some painting when the kids were younger, it often took him several months to complete one piece.
Many walls of his home are adorned with his paintings and he uses a room in the house as his studio. And while he does a lot of landscapes, he has also dabbled in some surrealism pieces.
Hogwood enjoys entering work in various shows and this year was accepted into the prestigious Yosemite Renaissance Show.
Wife Peni noted that they were both thrilled when they learned his painting was accepted.
“He applied to the 39th annual Yosemite Renaissance Art Competition in Oakhurst, California and was accepted his first time applying,” Peni explained. “This is very exciting because over 800 entries are submitted and it is quite an honor to be accepted.”
The show in Oakhurst was at the Yosemite Gateway Art Gallery; the first stop for the traveling show. All work in the show was for sale and Hogwood’s piece was purchased at one of the show venues.
“We are happy that the person who bought it really loved it,” Peni said. “The lady at the Kings Center (show) said it reminded her of an exact spot in Yosemite that she hiked to with her husband in years past.”
For Hogwood it was satisfying to know that someone liked his work enough to spend some hard-earned money to buy it.
“Just keep painting,” Hogwood added of spending some time on his craft nearly every day.
He admitted that not only are his paintings on the walls of his home; they are also “in my closet; they’re everywhere.”
His love for art was evident at an early age. He said when his mother would bring a coloring book for him, he instead would copy the pictures he saw in the book, choosing to draw them on a different piece of paper rather than use crayons to color them in.
“That’s when I was four years old,” Hogwood said.
He also noted that his father displayed a talent for art as well, but “never did anything with it” and Hogwood said he wanted to make sure he tapped his inner artist, something that brings him joy.
