Dancing with Sea Lions
The Dancing With Sea Lions project began as a fundraiser for the 20th Anniversary of the Florence Events Center. The volunteers of the Florence Arts, Culture, and Entertainment nonprofit group (previously known as the Friends of the FEC) headed up this project in conjunction with the Florence Events Center Staff. Twenty life size sea lion sculptures were each painted by a different artist. All of them were displayed with their sponsors along the Oregon Coast till October of 2016, when they were then purchased by businesses and individuals. Fifteen of them are still publicly displayed in Florence and near by coastal locations. See our 'Where are they now' map for their current locations, and check our blog for updates. Share your Dancing Sea Lion pics with us and we'll add them to our Gallery of images.
Ron Hildenbrand
Project Name: It’s A Wild Thing
A life long artist, Ron Hildenbrand, attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago before starting his own package and label business. He served in the Airforce, where as a staff sergent he ran the Graphic Department until he completed his service obligation.
Hildenbrand’s artistic endeavors continued after he left military life, when he moved to the California Bay area and worked as a designer in San Francisco before working in his own Fairfield, California art studio. Before retiring to Florence he worked for thirty years in the sanitation industry.
An active member of the Florence Art community, Hildenbrand serves on the Florence Events Center Gallery and Florence Public Art Committees and is a member of the Florence Regional Arts Alliance.
With a passion for wildlife art, Hildenbrand has highlighted a portion of the wildlife in Oregon’s Central Coast area, including the Sea Lion. From the finely featured birdlife, to the playful ocean otter, and the area’s black bear his passion shows through. When asked what his goal was for his Dancing with Sea Lions project, he responded. “ To create a pleasing design that depicts the area wildlife.” It’s A Wild Thing was born.
Hildenbrand used acrylic professional quality paint and varnish to protect his work. Then as a final step the sea lion was professional clear coated at West Coat Body Shop.