When she was in her early 20s, Italian artist Margherita La Gioia left her home in Milan to spend some time in Dublin, hoping for a bit of work experience and to improve her English.
Twelve years later, she’s still here, dividing her time between her day job as an art therapist and focusing on her own art. “I paint as much as I can in my free time,” she says. “I'm always devoted to the medium of art. It's like a calling - I need to do it.”
So what has kept Margherita in Dublin all this time? “It's the general warmth that I get from people that I'm fascinated by,” she says. “I'm in love with Dublin and it's my second home.”
We find her displaying and selling some of her work at her stall on Merrion Square. Most of the paintings behind her are inspired by the prehistoric monument at Newgrange in Meath (“a lot of Celtic spirals!”), and she says she also finds this part of her adopted city especially inspiring: “Nature, buildings, beautiful flowers – the blooming spring here in Merrion Square and St Stephen's Green.”
The people have left their mark too – Margherita loves meeting people from all over the world at her stall, whether they are buying or not. “It can be a very busy day or it can be more quiet at other times,” she says, “but I'm always up for a good day and to meet people. It's always good to be asked questions about paintings and see what they see in my paintings. That's always the fun part.”
One particular encounter will stay with Margherita forever: “I recall a very nice conversation that I had with a little girl, she must have been about seven or eight,” she says. “We had about an hour-long conversation about what she likes about art and what she likes about my paintings. It was very inspiring.”
And if there’s one thing she would change about the city? “That's a difficult question!” she laughs. “I suppose what I'd like to see is more support being given to artists and creative people. There are so many amazing artists here, so the more support the better.”
