Joey Marcella
ROCK Star
Discovering His Rhythm in Stone
BY SUE ELLER hen Joey Marcella earned a full music scholarship to the University of Nevada in Reno , Nevada , he didn ’ t realize his rise to “ rock star ” status would come to mean something entirely different .
He began working with his father at about age 13 setting ceramic tile . He never had a summer vacation as a kid , and rarely had a typical teenager ’ s weekend . The father and son pair figured out somewhere along the way that they made a great team and had fun working together .
They started by setting marble and granite tiles , and polishing the edges on tub and fireplace surrounds . That led them into stone fabrication , which they taught themselves . As they learned the stone trade , they developed their expertise , creating larger and larger pieces . By 1991 , they went into stone fabrication full time .
“ We started Mario & Son in Dad ’ s garage in the mid-nineties ,” Marcella said .
Thirty-two years later the Mario & Son business has a beautiful facility in Liberty Lake , Washington . The business has grown larger and even more successful . “ It ’ s been an interesting journey ,” Marcella commented .
Half of the business is now stone fabrication . The other half has become sculpture , a circumstance which came to be in the last ten years . The development of Joey Marcella as a sculptor was partly spurred on by Marcella ’ s father-in-law , Dave Monica , who was on the board for the Spokane Museum of Art and Culture ( locally known as “ The MAC ”). Monica used to take Marcella and his wife , Sheri , to fundraising auctions that benefit The MAC . “ I mentioned to him that it was mostly paintings and such ,” Marcella said . “ That led to him requesting I donate a piece of sculpture to The MAC for the auction .”
Marcella laughed and said he wasn ’ t an artist , but Monica persisted . They walked around the Mario & Son facility , looking at some of the
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