Drastic Jo (a.k.a. Jody Bateman) was born into a large farm family in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Raised without television, she entertained herself with pencil and paper, paints, prairie clay, and an ample imagination. Her mother taught her—not only art, but piano and singing as well, and the disciplines have always been intertwined in her life. Many of Drastic Jo’s pieces are illustrations of her original songs, which are available on her EP ‘(Un)drastic’ (under the name Jody Schneider if you’re searching iTunes or Amazon) as well as in teasers on her website from her upcoming EP ‘Peacemaker’. Her music style often draws comparisons to Tori Amos, Sarah Maclachlan and Ingrid Michaelson.

Drastic Jo names among her strongest art influences the works of Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Shinichiro Watanabe, Takashi Okazaki and Frank Miller, as well as early to mid-20th-century advertising art. Her style is sharp and graphic, often monochromatic, emphasizing contrast and strong human subjects. Her preferred mediums are inks and acrylics, but if you follow her blog posts on her website, you will also often see pencils and the occasional dalliance in clay and multimedia.

Drastic Jo currently lives in Boise, Idaho. If you are in the area, be sure to drop by an art show or concert to say hello!