Biography



Alana is an Australian artist born in Toowoomba, Queensland. She studied a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) graduating with Distinction at RMIT University, Melbourne.

​

From an early age she attended hot rod shows, drag meets and loved the glamour of old films and vintage fashions that paralleled the era. Both her parents and brother are dedicated to tradition and the art of building Hot Rods.

​

Pieces of her art are featured in collections around the world, including Spain, America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Wilkie has held an artist residency in Rome, Italy and was awarded the Rome Art Program Purchase Award for a plein air painting completed during the residency. Alana continues to her art practice full time in Brisbane, Queensland.

​

​Artist Statement

Alana Wilkie’s artworks are highly detailed oil paintings based on found images that have been interrupted with a juxtaposing element. The introduction of this element alters the reality of the composition, creating a new narrative for the viewer. The artworks created represent themes within romantic relationships.

​

Her criteria for imagery calls for iconic and romantic subject matter. This includes golden age Hollywood stars, roses, drapery, cowboys and hot rods. Each work often includes both typically feminine and masculine representations. Where some work may omit a male face, it is often replaced with a traditionally male subject such as a car from the 1950s. The use of nostalgia further supports her aim to portray a world that is unobtainable in reality, instead a fantasy world.

​

Wilkie doesn’t aim to create photorealistic paintings, rather her approach means she is unable to abandon detail. Her paintings are meticulously finished to reflect the unrealistic standard for her subjects in the painting. A surreal narrative is created through using images from the past, present, and future.