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Mel first carved as a young boy growing up on the family farm in Anoka county. With a love of wood inherited from his Norwegian grandfather, he saved his few coins and purchased a pocket jack knife at his uncle‟s country store. Wood from old apple boxes, peach crates, and from the local forest was plentiful. He carved many of his own toys such as small animals, sling shots, toy guns, and Whirl-a-Gig wind toys.

In the late 1970s, Mel was re-introduced to carving by a co-worker at the wholesale distribution company where he worked as a farm supplies buyer. He accompanied his friend to a weekend carving show at Northtown Mall. It was there he learned to carve a stylized bird from Honduran mahogany. He went on to carve more stylized and realistic birds, and some waterfowl.

In 1987, Mel saw an interesting pattern for a Santa Claus figure with the suggestion to carve it from the trunk of a discarded Christmas tree. That kind of wood proved to be a bad choice so he used basswood, the wood preferred by most carvers. He carved two Santas in that style, giving one to his wife, Marlys, and the other to her mother, as Christmas gifts. Since then he has carved more than 5,000 Santa Claus figures of many designs. He has also carved hundreds of Christmas tree ornaments, and many other types of carvings. He has many local and out of state customers, and has given many carvings to family and friends, and to charitable fundraisers such as Zion‟s Harvest of Hands.

Mel is mostly self taught. He has taken several classes from well-known Scandinavian carving instructors. He is a member of the National Wood Carvers Association, the Minnesota Wood Carvers Association, and the local Community Education carvers group at the Buffalo Middle School. He is also active with a group of carvers at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.

It‟s been a great hobby that has kept an old man “off the streets and out of the coffee shops.”

By Sherilyn Burgdorf

Some of us see what’s around us and others really see the big picture of God’s creation. Zion and the Buffalo community are fortunate to have the artistic talents of Howard Burgdorf in our midst. His eye for color, design, and detail have made many spaces come to life in new ways.

Howard Burgdorf with one of the Marysville pictures he donated to the 2009 Harvest of Hands silent auction.

After growing up in the Chicago area Howard went to Bethany College (Mankato) and the University of Illinois-Urbana to study graphic arts. He’s used his creative eye to design many business publications and corporate reports through his years of studio work at the University Press in Illinois and at graphic arts studios in the Twin Cities. Imagine doing lettering for business reports by hand, one letter at a time, instead of selecting a font style and size on your computer. Imagine doing color checks in the middle of the night with printing companies to make sure every color was done correctly. Graphic arts have changed in the past years and so has Howard’s array of art.

Howard’s retirement to Buffalo meant a whole new vision. The old barns and buildings around the area, including the Marysville Church, became a focus of his art. Zion’s Harvest of Hands event is the recipient of an annual painting done by Howard for the silent auction. “Painting ‘Marysville’ for Harvest of Hands has gotten to be a tradition for me. In a small way I want to continue its 107 year witness.”

Howard also uses global trips and interest in all kinds of art to expand his “big picture” to watercolor, acrylics, chalk, sketching, sculpture, and photography. While other people take vacations to see the world at a glance, Howard sees the everyday scenes and turns them into amazing sketches: ones that are appreciated even when language is a barrier.

Howard’s paintings in watercolor, acrylic, and chalk have become favorites at the silent auction each year and even though the building doesn’t change, the paintings are unique each year. In a few months, we’ll see what Howard’s “big picture” of Marysville brings for 2010.