Wood was born in 1935 in the town of Widnes, in Lancashire, England. His early interest in art was due to the support and encouragement he received from both his father and his high school art teacher. Following graduation from high school, he studied art at the Liverpool College of Art and credits his success as an artist to his good fortune to be in the right places at the right times. His involvement with the lively art and music scene in Liverpool during the late fifties led him to the innovative St. Ives Artists Colony in Cornwall, which in turn opened the door to a successful 6-year teaching career at the prestigious Cardiff College of Art in Wales.

Alan Wood moved to Canada in 1971 and settled in British Columbia in 1974. Since that time he produced his most personal and mature work as an artist. His interest in the dynamics of light and colour from the ocean, beach, forest and sky dominated his landscape work throughout his career. In 1983 Alan Wood gained international recognition for taking his painting directly into the landscape with his “Ranch” creation. This 320-acre painted construction built in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies was a monumental exploration of colour and form.