Our Edmonton cover artist: Jody Wasserman shares her creative gifts and talent with AJNews

By Jenna Vetsch

“You are giving a gift to the world with your uniqueness,” says Jody Wasserman, a Graphic Designer, Digital Illustrator, Muralist and Painter whose art leaves a lasting impression wherever she goes.

When you experience Jody’s work for the first time, you will enter a bold world of analogue and digital art that challenges you to expand the boundaries of your mind and break away from the mundanities of life. Her creations flow between Judaic mysticism, surrealism, intricate details, simplicity, and symmetry imbued with skillful intentionality.

Jody was born and raised in Edmonton in what she fondly describes as a proud Jewish household. Her dad, Ken Wasserman, of blessed memory, was the “Jewish protective warrior” in the family and set a great example of Jewish pride growing up. She was involved in BBYO and attended Talmud Torah School. From a young age, art served a vital role in Jody’s life. Drawing, colouring, and creating was her way of finding comfort and making sense of the world. She describes her parents, Ken and Annella, as independent, creative thinkers who always did things a little differently. “[My parents] presented this idea that you can use creativity as your superpower.”

In high school it became clear to her that university was not the path she wanted to take just yet. Instead, she chose to work and got her first job in sales at a shoe store. Little did she know, this job would lay a foundation for the creative businesswoman she is today. Jody would work during the day and draw until the early hours of the morning. She began selling some of her art to co-workers who expressed interest in her creations. At 18 years old, Jody left this job to go on Birthright Israel, travel around Europe, and then work on a kibbutz for 6 months. Eight months later, she arrived back in Edmonton and worked for a few months. However, she felt called to be back in Israel.

Jody made Aliyah, lived on a kibbutz and attended an Ulpan. Between her Hebrew studies and day-to-day responsibilities, she would visit Tel Aviv. One place she would frequent is the Nachalat Binyamin Art Fair. It is a famous art market which features a wide array of high-level artists. People must apply and be accepted by the admissions committee to sell their work, and Jody envisioned herself as one of those artists. Once she finished with the kibbutz program, she took her shot to make this dream a reality. Jody’s art at the time took particular focus on black and white, highly detailed, abstract creations.

She presented her work to the committee and got in. “I remember crying and calling my parents.” It was a validating experience for her to be welcomed into such a respected community of artists. For a little over a year, Jody put a lot of energy and passion into creating original pieces. She eventually shifted into another art market in Israel, creating and selling prints. In time, she began building a name for herself in Tel Aviv through custom work and murals. Jody was hired to paint murals in galleries, restaurants, private homes, and offices. “I was creating a brand by authentically doing what I loved to do.”

Over the span of four and a half years, Jody surrounded herself with creative work in Israel. She sold her art, worked as a community and events manager, acted in commercials, worked for an Israeli fashion designer, and modelled. Her desire to learn and do more with art and design began to grow though. On a whim, Jody applied to the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U) in the Bachelor of Design program, majoring in Illustration. She got in, moved to Toronto, and experienced a taste of post-secondary life for the first time since graduating high school. Although she loved aspects of the program, it did not feel like the right fit, so she listened to her intuition and left the program. She stayed in Toronto for another year, worked at a restaurant and created art before relocating to British Columbia with her boyfriend at the time. The move allowed her to be closer to her family.

In Vancouver, Jody enrolled in a 6-month condensed graphic design program at the BCIT School of Business + Media. She experimented with blending her unbounded artistic style with the rules of graphic design to create impactful projects. At the end of year show, put on for students to connect with various agencies, her designs spoke to one agency in attendance that Jody wanted to impress. Spoiler alert: they were very impressed. The agency created a 3-month paid internship position so she could bring her unique perspective into their studio.

Throughout each chapter of Jody’s life, she has worked hard and given her full attention to being a creative. Jody has learned to trust her instincts and lean into her strengths as an artist, leading to an abundance of opportunities.

Jody highlights a couple of notable collaborations that shifted her perspective on the way she does art. In 2021, Canadian fashion and lifestyle retailer, Holt Renfrew, contacted Jody in the hopes she would be a contributing artist in their Holt’s for the Holidays colouring book. She created two custom designs for the project and was one of five Canadian illustrators featured. Holt Renfrew even turned one of these illustrations into a giant mural in their Vancouver location. “This was the first time I saw my work in a graphic design perspective.” This experience was a big shift for her mentally to know that bigger brands wanted to work with her.

In 2023, Jody was commissioned by the East Village Business Improvement Association (BIA) to design and paint a custom 463 square foot mural at the Kamloops and Hastings Plaza in Vancouver. She was then hired to design three custom vinyl wraps for various structures in the plaza as a part of the East Village BIA communal revitalization project.

By sharing her creative gifts, Jody has positively impacted individuals and communities around the world. Her journey has been filled with moments of adventure, laughter, and joy, along with loss, pain, and sadness. She has chosen to see the beauty in all of it.

After working remotely in South America last winter and subsequently returning to Vancouver, she felt a desire to move back to Alberta. “I was missing my roots, and I was curious about whether I could be connected to Edmonton again after being away for over 10 years.” Jody has been in Edmonton since the summer and continues to work with clients, primarily doing graphic design projects. She hopes to create more space for painting and drawing as well.

Enjoy Jody’s custom colouring page inside the Chanukah edition of the Alberta Jewish News. Sit down with those special people in your life and stay present as you create your own works of art over the holidays together.

Jody is currently accepting clients! Her services include custom artwork, graphic design, and social media amplification. She is looking for unique and creative opportunities to collaborate on and would be excited to work with somebody on a cool project. You can connect with Jody at jodywassermandesign@gmail.com.

Check out her work at @designbyjody on Instagram and explore her portfolio on https://www.behance.net/jodywasserman1.

Jenna Vetsch is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter