Micky Allan was born in 1944 and trained as a painter, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Melbourne University in 1967 and a Diploma of Painting from the National Gallery of Victoria Painting School under John Brack in 1968. She began exhibiting hand-painted photographs in the 1970s, pioneering this art form in Australia. Her work encompasses numerous mediums, including painting, works on paper, installation and the use of engraved glass panels over works on paper.