Ali Struck is an artist and illustrator based out of Los Angeles, California. In 2010, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the renowned San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious contemporary art universities. In 2012, she relocated to Hollywood, California and worked in the color grading and film restoration departments of several post production studios. In January 2016, Ali made an exciting career change to return to the fine art world. She has since been fulfilling her passion for creating and instructing art.
Ali began oil painting at ten years old, having already attended years of fine art lessons in her hometown of Thousand Oaks, California. By twelve years old she was attending weekly drawing and painting classes, studying live nude models. These studio classes continued throughout her teens and landed her in an advanced placement art program at Thousand Oaks High School. She excelled in this course, earning a 5 out of 5 on The College Board’s final Advanced Placement Exam in 2006. Ali subsequently achieved early acceptance into her first choice university, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) later that year. At SFAI, Ali established painting as her major, with an emphasis in portraiture. In 2009, she spent a semester abroad furthering her art education at Chelsea Institute of Art and Design in London.
Today Ali’s work combines her technical fine art background with contemporary aesthetics. In 2017, her focus has been commissioned portraits of a wide variety of subjects, from clients’ loved ones to famed icons. Ali recently hand delivered a larger than life (36”x48”) portrait of environmental philosopher John Muir, surrounded by a layered abstract landscape, to a nature enthusiast in Northern California. Her recent body of work also includes unique portrayals of enthralling sex idols, such as the immortal genius Prince and the lesser known Priscilla Wright, a former pro golfer who modeled for an alluring Playboy spread in the ‘60s.
Areas of interest in Ali’s current and past work include the human condition, the male/female gaze, gender roles, female empowerment, LGBTQ rights, political climates, and social justice issues.