About the Artist
A current resident of Jacksonville, Florida, Joey Matula was born and raised in rural upstate NY. He attended college for culinary arts and decided to take a different path. Following a family tradition, he joined the US Navy and served in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm/Desert Shield, where he was named “Junior Sailor of the Quarter.” Joey owned Commercial Design Interiors, an interior design company marketing Italian furniture, French flooring, Canadian glass and American acoustics throughout NY, Ontario and Quebec for years, a perfect outlet for his love of color and style.
In 2014, Joey was diagnosed with testicular cancer. While coping with this new reality, a trip to Prague infused Joey with inspiration. He began painting to alleviate stress, and he found his raison d’etre. His art was first displayed at a gallery in Hudson, NY. By 2020, days before the COVID lockdown, he opened Electric City Art Gallery in Schenectady, NY, where he showcased his work as well as ceramics, jewelry, and glass work by other artists. Now cancer-free, Joey exudes gratitude and exuberance in life and art.
Joey’s art is featured in the movie Oh Canada, which was shown at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and starred Richard Gere and Uma Thurman.
Joey’s work has won numerous Florida art show awards, including:
Patron Award and Award of Excellence, Maitland Rotary Art Festival (11/2023)
Patron Award, Fall Festival of the Arts, Deland (11/2023)
Award of Merit, Art Festival at One Daytona (4/2024)
Award of Merit, Mandarin Art Festival, Jacksonville (3/2024)
Featured Work
“Pad Thai”
One of three of Joey’s pieces featured in the 2024 Cannes Film Festival movie “Oh Canada” starring Richard Gere and Uma Thurman.