Born in Augusta, Georgia (USA), Alanna Dotson comes from a long line of Artists, Art Historians, Crafters, and Teachers. She is diverse in her talents as evident in her body of work and knowledge consisting of painting, three-dimensional painting with caulking, pastels, drawing, fibers, clay, sculpture, sculpture casting, bronze casting, metal sculpture, furniture transformation, poetry composition, women’s art history, art history, and interior design history. As a strong minded business woman she decided to include a Double Minor in Business and Interior Design with her Bachelor’s degree in Art Management. The combination of these three backgrounds gives Alanna a vast array of multi-faceted abilities that can reach multiple levels of the Business, Interior Design, and Art worlds.
   
Throughout her diverse array of background experience she has managed to develop her own style which she has deemed “Realistic-Surrealism”. Though the term may seem contradictory, many of the works have very realistic pieces to them, yet come across as having a more surreal effect. Loving to work with mixed media, she incorporates hidden or unexpected items. These include, but are not limited to found objects, beads and ribbons, mixing pen and ink with acrylic and watercolor, adding paper, photography, and caulking to build the elements into a more three-dimensional painting, utilizing poetry and centering the theme of the painting to the words in the poetry, or even hiding or printing it and creating a tapestry of paint and words.

She has a new body of acrylic and watercolor paintings inspired by her recent and ongoing journey in Italy. She took a leap of faith and fell right where she belonged, which was in the culture and art of the country that inspired new writing, painting, and especially photography. Italy is like a second home to her now and she has returned to teach Art and English to young artists, publish books on photography, partner with the creation of documentary films, collaborate with other artists to teach Mixed Media Workshops, and continue the development of her children’s books. Alanna has also had experience in the following: Teaching Private Art Lessons to children of all ages as well as adults, assisting in local Arts Councils, assisting in Art Gallery show arrangements and openings, owning her own Interior Design Business which included furniture design and mural work, working as an In-House Designer for local furniture companies, a Customer Service Specialist in retail venues as a Merchandiser and Manager, and overseeing the construction projects of new store openings in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for “The Body Shop”.

Her true love is imparting her artistic knowledge to children and teaching them art skills and lessons that they will remember and use throughout the rest of their lives as Artists. The children learn basic color theory and drawing skills, adapting photography into a compositional piece of art, honing their artistic ability by showing them the importance of keeping a sketchbook at a young age, and thus taking them to an advanced level with the ability to work years ahead of their artistic peers. Her love of children and teaching them has brought about new projects, which include writing and illustrating inspirational children’s books.

  

Other Background History:
Now living in North Carolina, at age 5 her first Art Lessons hailed from her Grandfather who lived in Savannah, Georgia. Only able to see her Grandfather a few times a year; at a very young age she was exposed to many well-known artists and art skills by her Mother. She then began researching artists that she was interested in and started on a journey of teaching herself more about the arts She learned artisan crafts from her Mother and Grandmother and learned how to sew on her own and create and craft at age 9. These were rare gifts for a young lady born in the South, because the teachings of these talents were becoming obsolete in the last decades of the twentieth century. Throughout her childhood, inspired by her Mother and Grandfather, she won numerous awards for her art and poetry.

At age 11 she then pursued art at a higher level by enlisting in Private Art Lessons by a well-known art instructor in North Carolina. From then on through the rest of her high school years; she studied art under prominent tenured teachers. These studies were diverse and introduced her to the world of mixed media, photography and developing, and sculpture. She went on to win numerous awards throughout these six years. Well-rounded she received numerous honors for her ability to balance art, science, and math. Being inspired by the knowledge her Mother imparted to her about Leonardo da Vinci and Salvador Dali she was able to find two varied artists she could relate to. Still years later, they are major inspirations and have helped Alanna wield her unique style.

Alanna was awarded numerous Scholarships and in 1994 was awarded one of 100 places at the third ranked Architecture School of Design in the United States, North Carolina State University. She studied under some of the foremost Architecture professors, but two years later she decided that she wanted to pursue more creative routes of artistic expression. She then transferred to Appalachian State University in the mountains of North Carolina, where she felt a deeper connection to art and nature. Alanna then had a variety of courses that gave her a unique appreciation and diversity of artistic expression. The many professors at the School of Art were well-renown and respected amongst the art community. She found a love in the Alloys classes and made that her concentration though she has a strong background of 24 years of painting and drawing.

She has many other artists and eras that have inspired her such as: The Impressionist Movement, Rodin, Degas, Rembrandt, Robert Maplethorpe, Ansel Adams, Botticelli, The Renaissance Movement, Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and many others. She is always attending museums and looking for new sources of inspiration as she acknowledges the importance of understanding other artists and being exposed to as many artists of all genres as much as possible.