Margaret Jean is often found building paintings, and the stories that go with them, late into the night. Through her subjects she instinctively reacts to imagery that has the same dynamic quality as her paintings by using mark making, color, and scale. To her, process is everything. She is energetic and lively in her craft, applying painter’s tape, squeegeeing aggressively, and layering paint over itself until her formerly smooth surfaces are bumpy and organic. The movement on the surface contrasts with what is revealed a few layers beneath when she finally peels back buried tape to create thick geometric patterns that span all her works and unite them in their boldness. Her layering process is mechanical and thought out, but the erratic moves Margaret often makes during each step creates unpredictable interactions between layers that fight for the viewers’ attention. The stability of the materials, the methods she uses to apply them, and the predictability of the steps keep Margaret grounded, and the frantic strokes of paint and range of colors keep her on her toes throughout each work of art. 

Margaret Orlando’s work has been exhibited locally in numerous group shows as part of Shepherd University’s Visual Arts Collective. She has shown work at The Tea Cart in Winchester VA, Evolve in Shepherdstown WV, and the Student Honors Exhibition at Shepherd University’s Phaze 2 Gallery in which she won Best in Show. Maggie currently has hopes of becoming a professional welder and assists at Shepherd’s FASTEnER Lab during metal pours and workshops.