marianne swittlinger

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Born in Meriden, Connecticut, Marianne was influenced at an early age by her aunt, who was an accomplished painter. When she was old enough to attend college, Marianne had a strong desire to study art, but her father felt it was an impractical decision. So, she attended the University of Hartford as an Education Major in French and English. She spent her Junior year in France, and then returned to the United States to complete her degree. She taught in the public school system of Connecticut for a number of years, and in 1975 met and married Bill Swittlinger, who was a math teacher at the same school. By 1980, Marianne took a sabbatical leave to complete a Masters Degree in Art Education. Eventually, she landed a job teaching art at a high school until her retirement in 1999. During those years, she became involved in the Farmington Art Guild, which was known for attracting important artists from all over the country to exhibit and teach. It was there that Marianne exhibited her first solo show of paintings themed with Native American symbols on teepees. After the Swittlingers moved to full-time into their summer home in Martinsville in 1999, Marianne was approached by artist Kim Libby to exhibit their work jointly. From this collaboration, they opened “The Girl Ain’t Right Gallery” which eventually became the Port Clyde Art Gallery. “Presently,” she states, “I am reinventing myself into a mixed-media paper artist. I’ve backed away from straight painting to experimentation, which is more authentic.” .