01/18/2005 South Pittsburgh Reporter

Hilltop artist shows off his hall of fame caliber work

By David Assad

Die-hard Steelers football fan Johno Prascak admits he has no formal art school training. However, the Pittsburgh resident has combined his passion for the Black and Gold with his passion for art into a profitable career that is starting to bring him recognition as a nationally renowned artist.

Prascak gave five prints of his work to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio where they will be on display later this year in a section if the hall dedicated to the Steelers.With the Steelers having the greatest season since the Super Bowl era, Prascak's art work has been getting a lot more attention during the current NFL season.

For the past five years, Prascak has owned and operated Johno's Art Studio at the corner of Arlington Ave. and 18th Street, just before entering the Mt. Oliver business district on Brownsville Rd.Limited print editions of his artwork can be ordered through the internet at www.JohnosArt.com. Business has never been better for the 45 year old Prascak.

Some of his Steeler paintings include the late Art Rooney, Terry Bradshaw, Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Filed. For the past three years the Dapper Dan Charities have accepted a donated painting from Prascak which honored the Dapper Dan Man of the Year.

This year, Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlisberger is the recipient. The painting will be presented at the annual dinner in April.Two years ago, when the Dapper Dan Charities presented Steelers great Terry Bradshaw with the organization's version of a life-time achievement award, Prascak created a painting of Bradshaw depicting his Super Bowl championship days. The sale of the painting raised $10,000.00 for charity.

Prascak got to spend time with Bradshaw and said the former quarterback is very approachable, down-to-earth guy who he felt comfortable talking to at various Dapper Dan funtions.
Prascak's paintings are very distinctive and create an illusion of motion of needed to convey the emotion and drama of sports-related artwork. His paintings mix enamels and sand, giving the paintings an unusual, three dimensional texture. Johno feels his artwork symbolizes his life growing up with a debilitating health problem: ulcerative colitis.

When he was 23 years old, Johno had to have life saving surgery because of the colitis. While recuperating from surgery, he was only able to use his eyes and hands, so he began painting as a hobby. This eventually grew into a profession when he discovered there were people willing to commission him for his creations.

Prascak grew up in Dormont, also finds inspiration for his artwork through his wife Maria DeSimone, a Pittsburgh neighborhood native, who is an accomplished mural artist. DeSimone independently runs her own art business called Maria's Ideas.

The couple met more than a dozen years ago during a creative gathering of local artists. They have settled into the "Herman Munster" house on Arlington Ave. about two blocks from the studio and have made extensive renovations to the 100-year-old house.
Nine years ago when the Steelers were in the Super Bowl, television news crews and newspapers created a buzz about the then-dilapidated porch of the house because it was decorated with plenty of Steelers stuff. Their creation was labeled, "The Terrible Porch" in honor of Myron Cope's Terrible Towel gimmick.

Painting local sports heros and venues have brought Johno a certain degree of fame and fortune, but his passion for art has inspired him through a variety of other interests. He has also painted subjects related to his passion for gardening, architecture, every day people and memorabilia.
In 1990, Prascak was commissioned to paint a picture of the holy site of Medjugorje, Yugoslavia where the Blessed Mother is believed to appear on a frequent basis. The person that asked Johno to creat such a painting paid for Prascak's transportation to Medjugorje for divine inspiration. The challenge was for him to transfer onto canvas his innermost feelings of the little villiage which attracts thousands of visitors each year who believe in the spiritual power of this religious site.
A print of one of his Steeler prints is also on display at the Heinz History Museum which recently opened a sports history section at the Strip District facility. The painting of Heinz Field filled with football fans is entitled"Steeler Sunday".
Through an "inside connection" with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Johno Prascak is also working on a painting for Pittsburgh's long-time baseball team. It is a yet to be finished painting of PNC Park from a fan's point of view in the upper deck. The painting mat appear to be finished to a novice, but Prascak said there are more things he needs to work on to give his creation the right feel. He hopes to present his painting to Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy when the Major League season opens in the spring.
Johno says he has a good working relationship with the Rooney family who owns the Steelers. He enjoys being able to work at his pace in a creative environment.
Perhaps the only drawback to the job is the friends and acquaintances who ask if he has connections with the Rooney family for aquiring playoof and Super Bowl tickets. He has already been asked countless times about getting tickets for regular season games the season. Prascak said he never considers asking for tickets, even for himself, although he admits he wouldn't mind being offered Super Bowl tickets through his "connections" if the Steelers made it all the way to Jacksonville.