Sneak Peek: “Killer Whale Totem” - Mold Making and Casting

The newest monumental work by Preston Singletary, “Killer Whale Totem”, is preparing to be cast in lead crystal. Following the successful completion of the first “Family Story Totem” series, this new large totem pole features Singletary’s clan crest (the Killer Whale) in the center, his moiety (the Eagle) on top, and a thunderbird in the center that represents David Svenson who is the carver of the wooden pole.

Standing at nearly 8 feet tall the “Killer Whale Totem” will weigh close to 2,500 pounds and will be larger than the “Family Story Totem”. Created in a very limited edition of three totems total, each one will be cast in a unique color in lead crystal.

The first totem in the edition is in the mold phase in the Czech Republic, using a lost wax process. Below are photos of the original wood model with wax and plaster molds. The next step is selecting the color for the lead crystal and casting the totem in several sections. Once cast into the molds each section will take approximately 10 weeks to anneal. The “Killer Whale Totem” is projected to take twelve months to complete from start to finish.

Stay tuned for updates on this exceptional project. Please feel free to contact the Preston Singletary Studio with any questions.