Amanda Cadogan has a longstanding interest in the classical realist tradition. At the age of thirteen, she began her formal art training in the studio of portraitists Numael and Shirley Pulido of Hancock, New Hampshire, who teach a classical technique derived from their study of the Old Masters. Amanda took classes from the Pulidos for nine years, concluding her training with a class trip to Florence, and went on to study painting, art history, and English at Sarah Lawrence College. Her interest in Early Modern theories of imitation and beauty in both poetry and painting led her to receive a Master of Arts in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. Amanda currently lives in Chicago where she works in higher education, paints, and teaches private art lessons. Her portraits and still lifes are represented in several private collections across the United States.