On a chilly winter morning, metal sculptor Travis Pond walked around his large studio in Oregon City, carrying an assortment of gear and safety equipment, including an apron and rubber gloves.
But his most important piece of equipment — a welding torch.
He was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his latest project — a large metal owl perched on top of a large metal box meant to resemble a wishing tag.
The piece, called “Wishing Owl,” is a permanent installation on North Williams Avenue, having made its debut as part of Portland’s 2025 Winter Light Festival.
The owl is made of repurposed metal parts welded together. Each piece is meticulously placed to represent the most striking features of the owl, including cut-up bicycle gears for its eyes and beak.
On that day, Pond planned to finish the project and weld the feet of the owl onto the base.
“When you’re welding, you’re dealing with 240 volts and we are melting metal. We’re not making liquid, but we are liquefying it to an extent to melt it together.”
Once he was happy with the balance of the 250-pound sculpture, Pond took his welder, dropped his welding mask, and went to work.
Sparks flew in all directions as Pond welded the metal together. Once he was done, he took a step back, and for a moment, admired the finished product.
“It’s not coming off now, not in our lifetime anyway,” he said.
Pond has always been attracted to metal objects.
“I don‘t know if there’s magnets in my eyes or it is just something I’ve been doing for so long that that’s basically all I see,” he jokes.
Metalsmith artist Travis Pond buffs a part of a metal sculpture in progress. The finished product will resemble a heron in flight.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
As a metalsmith, Pond takes those scrap pieces and repurposes them to create striking and intricate sculptures. Some are fairly accessible, like animals, others are more abstract.
Where most people would see a piece of rebar, or a rusted-out wrench, Pond sees a talon for an eagle, or the beak of a heron.
“I’ll find a piece that resembles or could be used as a shoulder blade. Those kinds of shapes kind of stand out, but really I’m just collecting different random pieces that are going to get cut up into smaller pieces,” he said.
The real magic of his work lies in the intricate ways in which Pond welds the metal pieces together creating structures that form the animal, which are often depicted in motion.
But he doesn‘t want the audience to simply admire the piece from afar. Instead, he wants them to take a closer look and explore the stories of the individual found objects.
“There’s a story with all the materials that I’m using, there’s a history there, and I think those stories are important,” he said.
“I think leaving the materials somewhat recognizable connects the viewers … Otherwise, why don‘t we melt it down, make a form and pour a mold?”
Travis Pond sits with his dog Nova. Pond works out of his Oregon City studio, where he takes pieces of scrap metal and repurposes them into intricate sculpted works.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
Raised in Corvallis, Pond studied sculpture and painting at the San Francisco Art Institute.
“The San Francisco Art Institute provided one of the best sculpture departments that I could find,” he said.
That was where he also discovered metalsmithing.
“I loved the immediacy of how the steel was put together and you got structure right away. I’ve kind of always been making the best with what you have. And what I have is a lot of scrap metal,”’ he said.
After graduating, Pond returned to Oregon to pursue his arts career. He eventually dropped painting to focus solely on sculpture.
“I sold my second piece that I ever made and I sold the fourth piece, and then I kept selling. So that’s kind of when I thought this could be a career,” he said.
Since then, Pond has worked primarily in metal sculpture, creating pieces of public art like “Wishing Owl,” and for private collections.
Typically, he’s working on projects that can take weeks or months because of the particularly arduous process of welding metal.
“The creative part, I’d say, is about 10%. The rest is somewhat craft and a lot of labor and a lot of just pushing a broom and going through your thoughts,” he said.
But the most rewarding part of what he does is watching people engage and be inspired by the work.
“I’m in the studio all the time, so connecting with the audience is not my strong suit,” he said. ”My strong suit is bringing something to that audience, and not necessarily being in the audience with that.”
So, on the day of his owl sculpture’s installation, Pond stepped back and watched as passersby stopped and admired his creation.
“All these things I make are very personal. That’s how I get through my day, and hopefully I’m making something that will be an inspiration and make the day better.
“Because that’s what we all need,” he said.
Travis Pond stands inside his studio in Oregon City.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
