Making magic with snow, a credit card and a paintbrush at The Waterfront | The Homepage

By Juliet Martinez, managing editor

One of the larger snow paintings by Johnny Sheller at The Waterfront. On the left, Frankie the Snowballer amasses a large pile of snowballs. In the center, a child in an igloo laughs at the snowball fight happening over the head of a girl building a snow fort. Photo by Johnny Sheller

When Johnny Sheller took his 7-year-old daughter to see his art at The Waterfront, she got excited. “Daddy,” she gushed, “This could be your big break!”

The Hazelwood native also known in the neighborhood as J5 has been making art since age 7. He has been in a band, has written a metal album, has made countless drawings and created custom t-shirts for friends. But his art took a new direction last year when he decorated the glass door and front window of Dylamato’s Market at 5414 Second Ave.

A regular customer since the store opened, Mr. Sheller’s Halloween face painting alerted Dianne Shenk to his artistic abilities, she wrote in a Jan. 20 email. So she readily agreed when he asked her if he could try snow making art on her door.

Ms. Shenk posted photos of his first creation on the store’s Facebook page last February. The post got over 100 likes.

“It exploded from there,” Mr. Sheller said. It gave him the confidence to show some of his work to The Waterfront in January. “They hired me on the spot.”

The series of eight large windows he decorated at The Waterfront starts at The Improv Comedy Club, goes under the Homestead Grays Bridge and ends at Starbucks. The stories he creates are set in a snow-white world made only from canned snow, a credit card and a small paintbrush.

On one window, a brother pulls his sister on a sled without realizing what the viewer can see: The ground is dropping off and she’s about to go flying down a hill.

In another scene, a snowball fight rages over the head of a little girl building a snow fort. In an igloo nearby, a child watches and laughs. Meanwhile, a character Mr. Sheller calls Frankie the Snowballer has amassed dozens of snowballs that ensure his ultimate victory.

On other windows, snowmen greet visitors with eyes that twinkle. One jolly snowman flies over a forest, accompanied by an adorable dog with socks on his ears and a heart-shaped nose. Giant teddy bears hold out heart-shaped valentines, begging to be cuddled even though they are simply drawings on cold glass.

To Mr. Sheller, part of the magic is seeing people enjoy his work.

“People actually stop to get their endorphins up, to smile,” he said.

The tender, childlike power of his art comes from the most precious parts of life.

“My artwork is the representation of my soul,” he said. He said his daughter inspires his drawings too.

“She’s happy and trying to be successful at 7 years old,” he said.

Though he has worked toward this for years, creating his joyful scenes takes only about two hours, he said. This is a selling point for a place like The Waterfront.

“He does it very quickly, which is amazing,” said Lisa Caterino, property administrator at The Waterfront. “He’s in, does it and is out in, like, a few hours. It’s a perfect fit for retail.”

This is why the company has decided to have him decorate windows at other properties, Ms. Caterino said. These include Collier Town Square in Bridgeville, Oak Tree Place in Cranberry, Walnut Hollow in Murrysville and others.

“We just love his work. It looks fabulous,” she said.

While being paid to create art is important, it’s not about the money, he said.

“It’s about the warmth of what you feel. It’s magic. When you draw something and produce it on glass or paper, it’s magic,” he said. “Without the story you have no magic.”