Cameron Owls--Original owl sculptures in Soapstone Bronze Pewter Copper

In 1980, I began designing and producing owls in pewter. My work includes limited edition pieces as well as standard designs. Pewter is tin which has been alloyed with small amounts of copper and antimony. (Less frequently, it is still alloyed with lead.) It is a very soft metal which can be cast, hammered, or pressed.

The original, or "positive," of each piece is constructed of clay, plastilene, or sometimes soapstone, and a mold of RTV or vulcanized rubber is formed around the positive. The mold may be constructed in as many as six pieces to simplify removal of the pewter casting. I use both the gravity method of casting and spin-casting, and the pewter is melted in a small kiln or with a propane torch. It is then poured from a cast-iron ladle into the mold.

After casting, seam lines are removed and the areas to be highlighted are given a rough sanding. The piece is then oxidized in a nitric acid solution, which turns it black. Oxidation is removed from all areas except the detail, the highlights are buffed, and the piece is hand- polished. Pewter requires only an occasional dusting and the high-lighted areas can be kept bright with a polishing cloth or silver polish. Avoid dropping or bumping the piece.

My prices are based on the amount of: 1. pewter in the piece; 2. hand polishing involved; and 3. detail in the piece. Please see Order Form for Shipping and Handling costs.

As most photos indicate, many owls have areas which are highly polished***. Others have a satin finish. Regardless, your satisfaction is always guaranteed.

***NOTE: Producers also keep changing their formulae, so the formula I used for many years has changed and does not polish well. In order to keep your costs down and not raise my prices, I am no longer polishing the areas that appear shiny in the photos. They will be buffed to a satin finish which, in my opinion, looks just as nice.

6/15/11 -- Last November, I wrote that the price of pewter had risen from less than five dollars a pound to over fifteen dollars a pound in just a few years' time. And now, I learn that it is almost twenty dollars a pound. I have learned that the price increase is not due to supply and demand but, like with the oil industry, it is speculators who are driving up the prices. For this reason, I have had to raise the price of my Limited Edition Owl, right beneath this, as the owl consists of three pounds of pewter. I will wait a bit before making a decision about raising prices on the rest of the pewter owls. I don't want to, but may have to, if speculation keeps raising the price of pewter. Sorry.

click the owl for larger images

Many years ago, when I worked in clay, I made a number of owl chess sets. In the final set that I planned to make, this was the King and it was the only piece completed. The fired clay owl has been sitting in my shop since about 1980. I have finally put it to good use by making a mold and casting it in pewter. This is a Limited Edition with only 50 being cast.

The owl is mounted on a hardwood base, 3" x 3" x 2" high, and the owl itself is 5" high. The entire piece weighs approximately 3-1/2 pounds (1.6 kg)

Price: $150.00

This is # of

These owl medallions (below) came about almost by accident. I had made them as maquettes for a possible commission, when the client decided to go an entirely different route. I used Sculpey, a polymer modeling clay that only needs to be baked in the oven for a short time to harden. A friend saw them in my workshop and commented, "Those would look great in pewter." Well, I took his advice, and here they are. Now, they are available with a deluxe mat and frame and as a grouping of all three in one frame.. The owls, themselves, are approximately 2.5" in diameter. Note the metallic edging on the inside of the black wooden shadow box frames. Price: $60.00 each or the set of three for $150.00 click an owl for a larger image
	A - Perspicacious 9.25" x 9.25" $60.00
B - Sagacious 9.25" x 9.25" $60.00
	C - Judicious 9.25" x 9.25" $60.00
All three of the above for $150.00
The Three Wise Ones 9.25" x 15.5" $125.00