Community & Business
23 November, 2023
New gallery showcases decades of work
A MAREEBA artist has opened the doors to her home to share almost 30 years of her artwork with the community.
Gioia Dalla Lana is a passionate artist and has devoted countless hours to painting hundreds of pieces over the years.
With her house running out of wall space to showcase her creations, Gioia decided it was time to share her art with the public and offer some pieces for sale just in time for Christmas.
“I’ve got too much, and I want to keep painting, so I feel like I won’t be able to do more unless I make room,” she said.
“I moved into this house around six months ago, and there was this little room that I didn’t know what to do with, and then it dawned on me that this would be the perfect place to have the gallery.”
From portraits to fruits to landscapes, Gioia’s art spans from her time with the Cairns Art Society, the Mareeba Art Society, Art on the Barron workshops and her own “PARTies” workshops she runs.
“I have lost track of when I started painting. I started out with folk art many, many years ago and then outgrew it and graduated to canvas,” she said.
“I’ve always been arty … I have just kept being inspired by these workshops, and it’s just been really good.”
For Gioia, art is more than just a visual delight – it's an essential aspect of life.
She hopes that her art will serve as an ongoing source of inspiration and bring joy to those who view it.
“I never know how to put it in words, but art is necessary, and it really is more than just painting pretty things,” she said.
“I have a few ladies who come for workshops … and they use it as their mental health days to just come and destress and forget everything else.
“When you are painting, you put everything aside, and it’s the perfect me time.”
Gioia will be officially opening her art gallery at 7 Dunston Street, Mareeba on Sunday 26 November. She welcomes the public to come along, check out her paintings and find a Christmas gift for their loved ones.
