In addition to these academic successes she is also an artist, whose work will be displayed in the South Bend area for the next month. O'Reilly has never formally studied art, but became inspired to paint after a trip to Paris two years ago. Since her trip, she has filled six sketchbooks and displayed her paintings in both group and solo shows. Before her experiences in Paris, O'Reilly's artistic experience had been limited to a few sketches and doodles. But in the past couple of years I have done it more seriously.
Shapes make up both cellular forms and bodies.
You can see things in it even though it is abstract. O'Reilly cites Picasso, Kandinsky and Miro as her main influences and, although she has never taken classes on these artists, she has read and studied about them on her own. She also maintains that her work in science has directly affected her art. I see different patterns and shapes and I find them interesting. O'Reilly said that she believes that the scientific and artistic processes are more closely related than most people might believe.