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A
TRIBUTE
THE
COURAGE TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS
JOHN F. PRAZEN
26 AUGUST 1939 – 6 MAY 2003
“Passing on the courage to follow your dreams and to live a
life you love – everyday.
My father inspired my life, as well as the lives of
everyone he met,” said Adrian Prazen at a dedication ceremony
on July 11, 2003, commemorating the final sculpture masterpiece
of his father, John Prazen.
John
Fred Prazen passed away May 6, 2003, in Nevada.
He was born August 26, 1939 in Price, Utah, to Frank and
Lucille Ungricht Prazen. He is survived by his wife, Carol, of Mesquite, Nevada, and
children Shannon Prazen, Jon Marlon Prazen, S. Machele Sandoval,
Mark D. Prazen, Adrian A. Prazen, Margaret Gilgen, 15
grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.
Two brothers, Gary and Richard Prazen, and a sister,
Shirley Hastings, also survive.
John graduated from Carbon High School and served in the
U.S. Navy. John
worked at the family business, Pioneer Welding and Repair in
Price and Salt Lake City, Utah, for many years.
“He
instilled in his children that can’t
is not a word,” Adrian continued.
“He, on many occasions, reminded me that ‘if you are
unable to find a conventional way to do something, then find an
unconventional way.’ That
statement shaped my life.”
John
Prazen lived by the words he passed along to others.
He was a master at using various metals to “paint”
his works, creating a variety of things from delicate
chandeliers to large, life-size sculptures using forging,
welding, and other metal crafting techniques.
He and his brother perfected a method to lay liquid
brass, copper, and other metals over steel pieces to produce a
desired color or design. Metalsmithing was a family trade that John learned from his
father, who learned it from his father… and John taught the
techniques to his children.
“John,
or Fred as I knew him, taught me how to fabricate, and how to
use my head to be a problem solver,” says his brother Richard.
“He was a brilliant designer and Artist. I would watch him create his famous busts of all different
cultures from around the world.
Everything was done with welding and blacksmithing
techniques. He
would actually sculpt with the welding gun.”
“He
helped innovate many techniques in metal working technology,”
continues Richard. “Many
of the techniques that he helped develop years ago, we see today
in furniture, lighting fixtures, metal sculpture, and so many
other metal products. Like
texturing with weld to create a wood effect, using heat to color
the steel blue, yellow, and purple.
He, along with my older brother, Gary, were some of the
first to do silhouette art, long before plasma or laser were
ever heard of.”
Adrian
Prazen assisted his father in completing his last work, a combat
medic sculpture, for the grounds of the Utah Physician Assistant
Program building. (see
cover photo)
“In
September of 2002, my father called to tell me he had fallen ill
and asked if I could return to help him complete what would be
his last project,” says Adrian.
“So, under his supervision, a life size monument was
completed in April of 2002 for the physician assistant program,
a program that was close to his heart as he was a corpsman
himself. He passed
away as the monument was being cast.”
Adrian
continues, “I enjoyed working with my father and he taught me
a great many things aside from working with metal.”
“I
would like to express my thanks and love for all the things he
taught me,” says Richard.
“He was truly an inspiration to be around.”
John
Prazen started Expressions in Art, a custom furniture manufacturing company in 1991
and Adrian worked under his father.
In 1993, Marlon Prazen joined the company that moved to
Mesquite, Nevada, in 1994.
Working with interior designers, architects and
contractors, they created sculpture and custom furnishings for
clients living primarily in the desert southwest.
In 1997, Adrian returned to Salt Lake to further his
education and begin a new company and in 1998, Marlon returned
to Alaska. Those of
you who have passed through the Hobart Institute have been
fortunate to see some of his works of art.
In
his own words, “When you see a beautiful place, think of me…
I’m never far away.”
LIFE STORY OF A
DREAMER
Life story of a dreamer is not
always so well,
I know this first hand as I’m a dreamer, can you tell.
A gift from my father, I will pass it to my son,
A story never ending and has only just begun.
Life story of a dreamer and I’m a dreamer’s son
My father’s words, I hold dear
You can do this, son, he said so clear.
This gift from my father, I pass it on to you.
The life story of a dreamer and I’m a dreamer’s son.
--
Mark and Randy Prazen
References:
http://www.utah.edu/upap/news.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_artists/article/0,1789,HGTV_3228_1382584,00.html
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