Mary Lou Swicklik

​With an early background in chemistry, Mary Lou's education was both formal and informal. She held the following degrees: B.S., Chemistry, Mount Mary College, Milwaukee WI; M.A., Chemistry, Columbia University, NY; further study in chemistry: University of Pittsburgh; Argonne Labs, IL; Institute of Polymer Science University of Akron. Swicklik was a member of Monroe Community College’s founding faculty and taught chemistry there for twenty years. She took early retirement and earned a BA, Fine Arts in Studio Art, Empire State College, SUNY, under the mentorship of Kurt Feuerherm. Additional art training consisted of classes at the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY.

​The title of her first one-person show, “Intuitive Geometry,” became a way of thinking and a way of painting for her. Often Swicklik’s paintings turned into puzzles which needed to be solved through redesign, reinterpretation, or color. As a work progressed, it led her to a result which was interesting, unique, and sometimes fun. The work ended with a sense of movement developed by the intuitive and planned use of color and shape.

She won many awards, including the Best of Show, 2008 NYAHSA Traveling Art Exhibition. Swicklik was a member of the Arena Art Group, a signature member of the Rochester Art Club and the Irondequoit Art Club, where she served as President and Co-President. 

Swicklik had several ONE PERSON SHOWS: My Sister's Gallery (2); Barnes and Noble Cafe (Greece Ridge Mall); Williams Gallery; Link Gallery in City Hall; Greater Rochester Branch American Association of University Women; Chapel Oaks.
Her GROUP SHOWS have included: Rochester Art Club: Lucy Burne Gallery, Nazareth College, Dyer Art Center (NTID), High Falls ---Artists' Breakfast Group: Wilson Gallery, Link Gallery, St. John's Home. Barnes and Noble (Pittsford) --- Irondequoit Art Club: Irondequoit Libraries, Century Club --- Arena Art Group: Nazareth College, Dyer Art Center, Williams Gallery, Cazenovia College, Roberts Wesleyan College; Arts and Cultural Council; Pyramid Arts Center. Other juried shows: Ward Gallery, Centennial Exhibitions, National Women’s Hall of Fame, Channel XXI Showcase.