things displayed , and Monica then asked if Joey would take a stab at it . “ I did , and it gave me the confidence to go after the sculpture side of the business more seriously .”
Joey Marcella was entirely self-taught and didn ’ t really have a niche , but he decided to keep playing around and do whatever he wanted to do . He told himself back then that he wasn ’ t going to be pressured . He intended to do whatever made him happy .
“ It took me back to when my dad and I started the business together and how we really enjoyed working as a team . It was more about fun than making money or being successful .”
About seven or eight years ago , he created a sculpture piece he called “ Mantis ” and made a video for it . They put the video up on YouTube , and that video helped put him on the map , so to speak . It gave him the confidence to keep going , and he next created a similar video for a new piece called “ Aura .” The success of both videos gave him even more confidence . The video of “ Aura ” was picked up by several different platforms , and at one point it had millions of views .
The most important thing was that it caught the attention of the Natural Stone Institute , the governing agency of the stone industry here in North America . The institute has what they call Pinnacle Awards that they give out every year . In 2018 , Joey Marcella was awarded three international awards , including the Institute ’ s Grande Pinnacle Award for sculpture .
The most recent achievement for Marcella was a commission from the Gary Sinise Foundation to craft their awards for an event in Las Vegas earlier this month . He received personal and public thanks from Mr . Sinise .
Marcella has also done commissioned work for private individuals , including a marble staircase in a private residence and a quartzite fireplace in another private home , both in the Spokane , Washington area . He has carved several pieces for some of the Catholic churches in the Spokane area , and had a bust of Darth Vader , carved in Belgian black marble , on display in the Mario & Son facility in Liberty Lake .
For his latest and probably most ambitious project , the Spokane Valley Arts Council has commissioned Joey Marcella to carve a new sculpture , “ Soulmates ,” inspired by a quote from the late Italian writer and actor Luciano De Crescenza , which says :
Joey carving St . John niche , Lady of Lourdes Cathedral . Altissimo marble .
32 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE