How a "Hevener" is Created
At the age of 5, Ron
Hevener bought his first "dog." A tiny Boxer figurine he fell in love with. It
was the beginning of a love affair with art spending many hours sculpting things
out of mud or wire and learning to paint. Today, starting off in local
farmers' markets, selling from his own gallery and now having many distributors,
Ron Hevener still creates every piece as if it were his first and has become
well known in the collectibles trade. His pieces are treasured by everyone who
owns them.  After a design is
completed, a latex mold is formed over the original sculpture layer by layer.
Then a plastic "mother mold" is made over that to keep the latex mold in place
during the pouring. When the mold is sufficiently cured, usually in about two
weeks, the first casting is poured and everyone "holds their breath" waiting to
see how it comes out.
After the castings are poured, hardened and removed
from their molds, they are trimmed, filled and smoothed. They are set aside to
dry for about a week. Next, the castings are lightly sanded to remove any
remaining imperfections and brushed to remove dust.
The castings are now
ready to be painted. They are base coated, then air brushed with colors and
patterns, each one slightly different. Some are custom painted from photographs
to match a specific pet. The finish touches are then done with a brush to create
the masterpiece. They are then glazed
with multiple coats of clear lacquer and allowed to cure for about a week. With
proper care the figurines will last for many years and have earned the name
-Hevener. Mr. Hevener appearing at another successful show.
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Ron Hevener specializes in animals and the people who love them. Growing up in the
farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he was
surrounded by horses, dogs and county fairs.
Mr. Hevener owns
Lochranza Kennels, which has specialized in Collies
since 1945, also breeding Greyhounds and Arabian horses.
