Amanda Cadogan has a longstanding interest in representational painting. At the age of thirteen, she began her formal art training in the studio of Numael and Shirley Pulido of Hancock, New Hampshire, who teach an oil painting technique derived from their study of the Old Masters. Amanda took classes from the Pulidos for nine years, 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 lived in Chicago for several years, where she painted and taught painting classes privately and at Shimer College. In 2012, she relocated to the Bay Area to be closer to many of the subjects of her paintings. 

Her artwork is represented in several private collections across the United States.