Meet the Team

  Paul Elia is a graduate of The Ontario College of Art and Design, where he began integrating Drawing and Painting with Digital Media. Paul has worked closely with Toronto filmmaker Judith Doyle and with modern, abstract painter Ben Woolfitt.

In 2007 Paul moved back to his hometown of Hamilton and began creating his large format cityscapes. The work has grabbed the hearts and imaginations of the Hamilton community. The success has followed alongside a cultural renaissance happening in the city.

 In 2018 Paul took on an ambitious adaptive re-use project converting a large industrial building in Hamilton’s East End into an incredible new studio and gallery for his work and other local artists.

 As the proud owner of Back Alley Gallery, Mary is dedicated to creating a space where art thrives and creativity knows no bounds. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in the exploration of diverse mediums, particularly collage, encaustic, and acrylic. Each piece created is a testament to a passion for blending textures, colours, and materials in ways that evoke emotion and provoke thought.    

At Back Alley Gallery, Mary strives to foster a community where artists of all backgrounds and mediums can come together to share their work and inspire one another. 

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Together, let's celebrate the power of art to transform, uplift, and connect us all.

Tania LaCaria is an Italian-Canadian abstract artist. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from York University (2006), CIDA-advanced diploma in Interior Design from Sheridan (2009). LaCaria has traveled the world extensively, gathering inspiration from various countries where she’s lived. She currently lives and works out of her studio in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

LaCaria’s work explores paradox - the idea that two opposing realities can exist at the same time - with a focus on themes based in gender, sexuality, social structure/class systems, body politics and relationships presented in an Abstract Expressionist aesthetic. LaCaria aims to form meaningful connections with observers by accompanying her work with personal poetry and story-telling.

Her creative process has been described as performative with an emphasis on the deep introspection, vulnerability and social observations she is making that are often juxtaposed by the playful, “fun” and seemingly light-hearted way her brightly-colored work presents to viewers.