Artist lends out his 'Last Supper' where people eat Religious carving makes rounds of restaurants Sunday, February 23, 2003 BY BARBARA MILLER Of Our Palmyra Bureau If you're eating in an area restaurant, you may find yourself looking at a Palmyra man's vision of "The Last Supper." Kurt Moessner, well-known for his sign-carving business, is displaying his stylized relief carving adapted from Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in local eateries. "I would like to put it in all the restaurants in Pennsylvania as a way of evangelizing, in a quiet way," Moessner said. The carving's first stop was Funck's Restaurant in Palmyra, where it was on display for more than a week until yesterday. Today, "The Last Supper" is headed to Grace Evangelical Congregational Church, 4501 Franklin St., Swatara Twp., Dauphin County. Starting tomorrow, it will hang in the Country Fare Restaurant in Palmyra for two weeks. "It's definitely a great attraction," said Lenny Speck, assistant manager of Funck's. "People stop and look. It's definitely an eye-catcher." The 3-by-6-foot carving includes 2,000 colors, Moessner said. He began working on it in March 2002 and figures he invested about 1,500 hours. He finished it a few weeks ago. "I've gotten more spiritual uplift from this one carving than all signs I did in my life," Moessner said. He made a few changes from da Vinci's original. He put beards on all the apostles and changed the color of their clothing, but kept their poses. He put tile and a rug on the floor and created a more open and light-filled background, with a cathedral ceiling and windows that open to a cloud-filled sky. Even the gilded frame is part of the carving. Moessner said he approached the owners of Funck's Restaurant first, because he knew they are Christians and thought they would be receptive to the idea of displaying it. "People need uplifting -- there is too much negativity in the world," he said. Moessner said he used 30 different types of chisels to carve the painting out of high-density urethane, which is about the same hardness as western red cedar. Unlike wood, it will never crack, he said. Faces and hands were the most difficult to carve, Moessner said, adding that he had to use magnification glasses to get everything right. When he couldn't get a hand to look the way he wanted it, he had his wife photograph his hand in the same position, then used it as a model. Moessner tried to duplicate the sheen of the original painting. Eyes are painted with 15 coats of high-gloss clear coating, while the hair has a satin finish. The tablecloth has a flat coat of paint, and the plates have a satin finish to simulate the look of pewter. Despite all the work he put in the project, Moessner said he's ready for more. Moessner said he believes his talent is "a blessing from God. I never went to school for this," he said. "Every single human has a gift, and I have the gift of fine art." Moessner's carved signs can be seen across central Pennsylvania -- many of them at churches. He has created signs for St. Joan of Arc Church in Hershey St. Paul the Apostle in Annville St. Cecilia's in Lebanon United Church of Christ and Grace United Methodist churches in Hummelstown Tender Years day care center in Hershey and Rhoads Pharmacy in Hummelstown, to name a few. He also created a carving of the head of Christ, which is displayed in his church, First Evangelical Congregational Church in Palmyra, which is where "The Last Supper" will be for Easter. "I couldn't have done it without God," Moessner said. Moessner said he won't sell his original "Last Supper" carving, but he is accepting commissions for Christian work and may be contacted at 832-0532..