Mary Jo Scandin, aka MJ, has been creating work for over forty years. She enjoys working in fiber and focuses on the art of batik, silk painting, and hand-dyeing. She is also an accomplished mixed-media artist, graphic designer, and illustrator.
As a celebration of line, pattern, and color, MJ's pieces reveal vibrant compositions encompassing colorful abstracts, nature motifs, or geometric forms laden with movement and rhythm. Her work captures her life using vibrant colors, defining shapes in light or shadow, and controlled lines. A similar approach is used in MJ's illustrations and graphics, representing a sense of fun and whimsy.
A prolific artist, MJ approaches her work with great discipline and self-mastery. She has sketched in a journal or worked on a piece of art almost every day of her life. MJ consistently creates work, even when she is traveling or vacationing.
MJ holds an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She began her career as an art teacher. MJ and her family spent their summers in Door County, Wisconsin, where she and her husband opened a gallery and gift shop- Serendipity. This unique place, where MJ created work and sold her pieces, and other works by talented artists and artisans, became a distinct destination for tourists and locals alike. MJ continues to travel to Door County every year to teach at Sievers School of Fiber Arts, where she has shared her expertise for over 30 years.
MJ's work is enjoyed in private and public collections around the world. Her current work shows in Wisconsin at Season's on St. Croix Gallery in Hudson, Urban Evolutions in Appleton, and The Blue Dolphin House in Door County. MJ has shown her work at many galleries throughout the Midwest and the Trout Museum in Appleton.
MJ and her husband currently reside in Appleton, Wisconsin.