Born in Summer Hill, New South Wales, the son of a baker, Long was a landscape artist in oils.

After returning from his civil service during the Second World War as a precision instrument maker, he sold his watch-making business to his partner and began full-time painting in 1955.

His first overseas trip was sponsored by the American millionaire John Galvin and the experience made a lasting impression on the artist.

On 26 January 1993, Long was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia 'for service to the arts as a painter of Australian landscapes.

'[4] At the age of 100, Long continued to paint every day and staged his centenary exhibition on 14 May 2011 at Kim Nelson Fine Art & Editions in Yass, New South Wales, not far from the nation's capital, Canberra.