Leading up to Hilda Freyre’s childhood home was a thick canopy of trees. She grew up on a sugarcane plantation in Peru, an environment she was reminded of while on a drive in Los Olivos a few months ago. She saw an archway of leaves blanketing the road from above.
“The trees were different, and they were thicker. But it was like that,” Freyre said, comparing her hometown to the Los Olivos scene. “It reminds me of my childhood.”
Calling all gallerygoers
See Hilda Freyre’s work at Gallery Los Olivos, including at the New Perspectives show through the end of March. The gallery is located at 2920 Grand Ave. in Los Olivos and open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about the painter at hildafreyre.com.
With hometown inspiration, the painter created The Shaded Road with a burnt orange path making way to textured tree trunks topped with light green leaves. Mysteriously, the road turns, snaking out of sight. A white picket fence invited itself onto the canvas, too, she said.
During her time in Peru, before she became a professional artist, Freyre remembers spending her childhood with a pen in hand. One of her favorite muses was her Siamese cat, Mosi, who made multiple appearances in the young artist’s journal.
At 10 years old Freyre won a drawing contest with a picture of a golf course. It flipped a switch.
“I was thrilled because I got first place,” the artist said. “That was my first experience with art.”
She lived in her native Peru for more than 30 years and then moved to the U.S. when she got serious about painting. Looking back on her early work, Freyre can tell how much she’s learned about color, one of her biggest strengths today.
“With time I just became a little bolder and bolder because I love color,” she said.
The technique Freyre uses is called alla prima, meaning “at first attempt” in Italian. It’s a wet-on-wet approach with spontaneous and direct movements that make way for the finished product after one sitting. Freyre described it as putting the paint right where she wants it and not reworking over any areas.
“That’s why the colors look brighter, and they don’t get muddy,” she added.
Another trick she uses is slathering a coat of burnt amber over her drawing on the canvas before she starts painting. Not only does it give warmth from the start, but it’s much less intimidating than a white canvas, which “sometimes is a little scary.”
Her technique and style captured the attention of artists at one of the most well-known galleries in the area. In November last year, Freyre was one of two who joined the more than 50 artists belonging to Gallery Los Olivos, a fine arts space established in 1992. The gallery is home to painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, and mixed media.
Members volunteer at Gallery Los Olivos once a month to keep the place up and running, facilitating any sales that come through and maintaining the cleanliness of the building. Freyre likes volunteering because it offers a social reprieve from the lonely job of painting.
It’s been more than a year since Freyre applied and brought her samples before the Gallery Los Olivos jury. A few days after that, she exclaimed with joy when she opened the coveted acceptance email. The jury enjoyed the boldness in her landscapes and the fact that she has larger paintings in her portfolio.
“It was a dream of mine since I moved to Ventura that I wanted to be part of this gallery,” she said. “It’s very prestigious.”
Other artists have been welcoming and kind, a larger theme that she’s noticed while living on the Central Coast. She loves the down-to-earth, unpretentious attitudes of the people she’s met. Along with the community, Freyre admires the scenery.
“I love the ocean, and I love the colors,” she said. “Of course, come on, the sunsets—they’re outrageous this time of the year.”
Cruising along the coast is how a lot of Freyre’s paintings are born. If she isn’t creating in plein air, she takes pictures and does small sketches out in the field to bring home. Sifting through them all, she pays attention to what particularly inspires her, and it’s different every day. The longest part of her process is figuring out what to paint, but it won’t stop her if she can help it.
“I will be painting for as long as I can hold a brush or carry my canvases around.”
Staff Writer Madison White likes watching the sunset from Highway 101 on her drive home from work. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in February 5 – February 12, 2026.