Ed Mosteig remembers peering into his stocking one Christmas morning and finding a wood burning kit from his parents. The kits contained a pen-like tool with a metal tip that, when heated, burns the wood it’s pressed against, creating possibilities for simple or elaborate designs. Several years ago, feeling nostalgic for his childhood Christmases, he put a wood burning kit into his wife, Diane’s, stocking.
“She never had one as a kid,” said Mosteig. “But when she tried it, she burned herself. She put it away on a shelf and never used it again.”
Part of Mosteig’s prolific gallery of pyrographic art on display in his Sun City home. (Photos by Christine Such/Sun Day)
About five years ago, Mosteig started thinking about pyrography, the art of decorating wood with burn marks.
It seemed like a fun thing to do, he said, so he found the set he gave her and got it down from the shelf.
When you try wood burning for the first time, said Mosteig, you generally make stick figures.
“You make the outline really hard, then you fill in as you go,” he said.
Mosteig started with simple figures, but soon progressed to more complex designs with more nuanced shading.
For the past five years, Mosteig has diligently worked at the art of pyrography in his home, creating items that he usually gives away to friends. For three years, he’s entered his creations into the Veterans Creative Arts Festival, sponsored by the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. The annual festival recognizes arts therapy and raises the visibility of the nation’s veterans. Mosteig, who once repaired fighter jets in the Air Force, has entered the competition for three years in a row: In the pyrography category, he captured second place, then third place, and this year first place, qualifying him to be considered for the nationals in Iowa.
Next chapter: Pyrography Club
Mosteig, who moved to Sun City a year ago with his wife, is starting a pyrography club and wants to share the joy of wood burning with others, regardless of their skill level. As a sub-group of the Wood Chucks, Del Webb’s woodworking group, the pyrography club is able to schedule meetings and classes in the shop. All individuals interested in the art form are invited to join.
Usually, Mosteig does his wood burning at home.
“My wife likes the smell, she says it’s like a fireplace,” he said.
They bought a large air filter for their home that senses and cleans particles in the air. Although Mosteig is content with his wood burning area at home, he said the large exhaust fans and good ventilation are an added bonus of working in the wood shop.
“I enjoy it – it’s relaxing to me,” said Mosteig. “That’s the reason I started the club. You tend to learn a lot more from others with similar desires. It’s better than struggling alone. If I can give others enthusiasm about, then we can all learn together.”
Mosteig said most of the people in the club so far have never done wood burning before.
“I expect to see a lot of stick figures at first,” he said. “But we’ll work together on it and see who wants to stick with it.”
Interested in joining the pyrography club? Contact the Woodchucks and ask to learn more about wood burning. The fee to join the club is $20.
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