Local Okanagan artist Larry Hunter grew up in Vancouver and attended the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr) in the mid-1970s. He began his art career in White Rock with a studio across the street from the beach and in 1995, relocated to Penticton's West Bench with his wife and two young children. "White Rock and South Surrey just got too crowded for us." he explains.
The next 20 years saw Larry paint as many as 35 murals in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Six of those murals are in Summerland alone, with several more throughout the South Okanagan. Murals and architechtural renderings were the mainstay of his career. In the nice weather, he likes to work outside painting public art projects, "The bigger, the better. I like meeting and talking to all the people who walk by and chat or just go by each day and watch the progress".
While he claims to be basically retired now, he like to take on the occasional mural project when the weather and his time allow. "This has been a great place to work and the kids loved growing up here in the Okanagan. While they are both back down working in Vancouver now, they consider this their home. The Summerland Christmas Light-Up was the first event we attended with the kds when we moved here in December, 1995".
As of June, 2024, Larry is painting a mural on the Legion #97 hall in Oliver, BC.