Huntley Library features Sun City wood-burning artist

Ed Mosteig, a Sun City resident, is a woodburning artist and has produced many beautiful works of art. He uses wood-burning to create an image by using the natural tones and grain of the wood, both burnt and unburnt. The art form, pyrography, is the free-handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks.

Mosteig said, “I started woodburning about 10 years after retirement. One of my favorites is of my son when he was younger. I have done a few images of horses. Our first home was in Michigan, and in the back were fields, with a farm nearby. My wife and I liked to sit in the back and enjoy the view.

We would see horses in the field and one day right in front of us was a Magar horse. There is a rescue horse facility in Woodstock, Hooved Animal Humane Society. I made a dozen Horse wood-burn images, including one of the shelter’s favorite horses, Byron. I donated the pieces, thinking they could sell them. But they liked them so much that they hung them all in the conference room.”

Mosteig says he hasn’t had any official art training.

“My grandfather collected wood-burned art pieces. It must have inspired me,” he said.

What makes wood-burned art unique?

Mosteig said, “Wood-burning art is unique because each piece of wood is one of a kind. I use basswood and leather sometimes. The same technique is used on leather. Naturally-tanned leather must be used because chemical tanning methods leave residue in the leather which is toxic.”

Mosteig has made a beautiful owl burned on leather with intricate detail of the eyes and feathers. That piece won a first-prize blue ribbon at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) Veterans Creative Arts Festival. The festival highlights the artwork, creative writing, and musical talents of area veterans.

He plans to enter pieces to the Veterans Creative Arts Festival this year, too.

“I will be submitting three pieces. The winners go on to compete at a national level,” he said.

Mosteig’s art pieces have another favorite theme: birds. Besides an owl, there are sand cranes and eagles.

Mosteig said, “This one is from a photo I took while a bird landed on my hand. It was incredible. I managed to shoot a photo while it was sitting on my finger and I duplicated the image on the wood. My son took a picture of this golden eagle. The burning in the light shows a golden reflection.”

A few pieces have some color added to the artwork.

“Sometimes you may find that you want to add some color to your wood-burned design. A little pop of color can liven up a wood-burned project. I use watercolors to enhance a few pieces.”

Thirty of Mosteig’s pieces will be on display at the Huntley Public Library in September. There is a wood-burning group that gets together once a week at the woodshop in Sun City. Several other members of the group will have their work displayed. Along with Mosteig, Bob Bell, Allen Johnson, Jim Krown, Joe Render, Herman Schipma, and Janet Schipma will have their artwork displayed.

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