Swearingen then became one of the charter students in the world famous Interlochen Arts Academy and continued her education at Michigan State University, Northwestern Michigan College and Western Michigan University, the latter of which she received her B.A. in fine art.

While Swearingen pursued selective graduate studies at Eastern Michigan University, she exhibited her paintings, drawing and etchings in juried art shows and fairs throughout the eastern United States. Swearingen also designed and created commissions for residential and commercial projects as chief designer at Adams Mill Studio, a flat (stained) glass studio in Alexandria, Virginia.

Swearingen returned to Michigan and based herself in Traverse City where she not only continued painting, but acted as Associate Curator of the “Art Bus”—a traveling visual art exhibit that visited various schools in the Grand Traverse area.

Swearingen then moved to southeastern Michigan to concentrate on portrait and landscape painting and soon met with critical acclaim. Her works exhibited at the Scarab Club, the Michigan Gallery, the Detroit Artist’s Market and other venues throughout the greater Detroit area.

Fate played a critical part in Swearingen’s decision to focus on photography in 1992, when the onset of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome made it difficult for her to paint or draw. The camera lens became her paintbrush and her portraiture work soon received national notice with clientele ranging from Maine to Arizona. She is an award-winning photographer from the Professional Photographers of America and her work is displayed in its 2001 Showcase of Photographers.

While Swearingen found her ability to capture the human essence of her subjects in her portraiture rewarding, her personal passion is the study of nature, particularly floral blooms. Swearingen approaches her floral photography much the same way she approached portraiture—by studying the dynamic individuality of the subject.