Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Long.
Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been in awe of animals. As a kid, I brought home toads and fish in my shoes from the lake down the street, keeping them alive in our kiddie pool. I was also driven to draw animals and I remember in elementary school tracing pictures of animals, selling them to my friends for ten cents apiece.
As a kid in Michigan, my family could have treated pets better. I saw kittens get rickets from improper food, one dog who lived outside ran away from home (hopefully to be rescued and have a better life). I lost my first childhood cat at only four years old, to a very treatable tooth root abscess. I was too young to fully understand, and all I remember is the staff taking him into the back of the clinic… I never got to say goodbye.
That’s what drove me. I grew up wanting to do better for the animals around me. So I became a veterinary technician. Working so closely with pets and their amazing people every day continues to show me the bond between us. I see the impact animals have on our lives, and how much we care for our furry family members. We even named our home business Kallies Creations after our first dog, Kallie. I honestly don’t know what I would do without my pets.
Recently those early drawings came back to me, they kept growing, until I took a chance on painting a pet portrait for a friend. Before that my paintings had largely been landscapes. After that first painting, I knew I could do better, include more detail, more life, more personality and love. That’s what I strive for in each of my paintings. Bringing out the emotion and heart that people see in their pets. A big part of my work has become helping people process their grief when a pet passes, gifting them with an heirloom that will help them to remember the best part about their best friends. Something that has become very real for us recently, as we had to say goodbye to my heart, our dog Penny who was a 14 year-old lab-husky mix.
We know our pets aren’t just property, they’re our children, our best friends, our emotional support — they simply make our lives better.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ll be honest, the idea to start painting in watercolor was a bit abrupt. One day I said “I think I’ll start painting.” It’s not a smooth road, but every brushstroke and every patient reminds me why I keep working at it. I hold myself to a very high standard of detail and accuracy, trying to capture the essence of a pets personality on the canvas. I know I’ve been steadily improving over the past years, but I still often sit back and wonder “Is it enough”? I think a lot of artists feel this way.
I often struggle to know when a piece is done — I’m always worried it’s not perfect enough, and I could keep tweaking forever. But I’ve found a way to keep going: I’ve made some friends I can paint with, and we have a standing paint date we try to do once a week. That time together keeps me showing up, even when the perfectionism and the busy schedule try to talk me out of it.
Time often gets in the way of the things we love, and I’m pulled in a lot of directions: I work at a veterinary rehab clinic and an urgent care clinic, and at home there’s our 11-year-old son and our dog who all want their share of me.
Some days the paint dries before I even get to it. There are weeks where the only “studio time” I get is a half hour after everyone’s asleep, or a stolen afternoon when the schedule finally clears. Honestly, that’s the hardest part, not the long hours, but the guilt of choosing one thing I love over another. If I’m at the clinic, I miss a quiet evening with my son. If I’m painting, I feel the pull of the animals who need me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is all hand-painted pet portraits in watercolor. When I first started, I didn’t realize watercolor is one of the least forgiving mediums — but over time I’ve grown to love the serendipity of the water, the way it flows and blends, and how you never get the same thing twice.
I’m always impressed by people who can re-create an image down to the finest detail with the exact same colors. But I’ve learned to lean into what makes my work mine — bright, bold colors. I’m not afraid of using green, blue, pink and purple to paint fur. It gives the portraits whimsy, and I feel like it helps bring out the personality of the pet.
There’s a lot of digital art and AI now that can create rainbow watercolor portraits in seconds, but they always seem just off enough that it doesn’t quite look like your pet. With my background in veterinary medicine, I feel I can bring out their personality — especially in their eyes — so the portrait literally looks like them. That’s what I’m most proud of: capturing the pet people actually know and love, not just a pretty picture of one.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is when I touch the heart of the person who receives my painting. It’s not about the number of portraits I sell or how technically perfect a piece is — it’s that moment when someone looks at their pet’s portrait and feels something. When the painting brings back the good memories, or makes them smile, or even tear up, that’s when I know I’ve done my job. If the person receiving it is moved, then I’m happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kallies_creations_or?rpxt=MWZnMHBqN201NWNjaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JKTLTeD1i/?mibextid=wwXIfr
