Illinois artists bring the heat to Leafly’s rolling trays
A microcosm of the United States, Illinois offers a vibrant cultural hotspot that you can feel in your bones. That energy only increased when the state legalized adult recreational use in June 2019. When the stores opened in January 2020, the queues were wrapped around the streets in anticipation. Now, over a year later, the cannabis business is booming in the Prairie State and Leafly couldn’t be more excited!
Illinois is a state that helps set the standard for pop culture when it comes to art. For example, if you’ve walked the streets of Chicago before, you’ve seen classic architectural wonders adorned with contemporary street art.
Leafly caught up with the three incredible artists who brought the rolling trays to life just for the Illinois stoners. Here’s what Anthony Lewellen, Sergio Farfan, and Martha Wade had to say about creation, cannabis, and community.
ANTHONY LEWELLEN
Leaf: What inspires your work?
Anthony Lewellen: My work is inspired by many things. Probably the biggest inspiration is my experiences in the city, the people, the sights, the sounds, the colors. I’ve always been interested in art since I can remember, but the first thing that got my work out in public and gave me direction and meaning was when I started graffiti as a teenager.
The years I’ve spent drawing and painting in the city [have] an important part of my approach and aesthetics in the way I make art to this day. Although the work I am creating now is very different from what I was doing then, it is all part of the growth and development that you go through as an artist.
Leaf: If you are a cannabis user, what rituals have you created around cannabis? If not, how do you think art can further influence the destigmatization of cannabis use?
Lewellen: This is an interesting question. I don’t have any cannabis rituals. I think it can be helpful for a number of things if used responsibly. The documented medical benefits are important, but also in terms of managing stress and anxiety in general, when used in leisure time.
As for the art of destigmatizing its use, it is difficult to say. Art can be a lot and convey a lot, but it would really depend on the art. I don’t see much stigma where I live, nor have I experienced much stigma living in Chicago, as perhaps in other parts of the country, especially since it was legalized here. I think the biggest stigma was that it was a criminal offense to have even small amounts of what by default made you a criminal for so long.
Leaf: What makes Illinois different from any other place?
Antony: For me, it’s definitely Chicago. It’s one of the greatest cities in the country and beyond, and there is so much going on on so many levels. Illinois is more than Chicago, of course, but it’s the part I’ve experienced the most.
In general, however, in the heart of the Midwest, Illinois has a very unique pace of life and a very down to earth way of being. Chicago, a big city in the middle of the prairie, sometimes still manages to feel like a small town, and the people are very grounded.
SERGIO FARFAN
Leaf: When did you commit yourself to art?
Sergio Farfan: In general, creating has always been an outlet for me to either share my story or stories that people can relate to. Whether it’s an exact experience my audience and I can share, or a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of our two childhoods, I want to show people that we are all the same in some way, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or different Lifestyles.
Leaf: What role, if any, does cannabis play in your artistic process?
Farfan: The general theme of recreational / medicinal use isn’t for everyone, but I don’t want this stigma to keep people from showing their support for their consumers and their stories. I don’t see a problem with cannabis and have friends who love it. I know so many people who have benefited from it for health reasons and for recreation. I am excited to see more access to products that can help them.
Leaf: What role does art play in Illinois in particular?
Farfan: My goal as an artist is to bring people together, so it’s safe to say that a strong and supportive sense of community is very important to me. That being said, I’m very honored to grow up in a city where the arts are constantly thriving and where I was one of the first to legalize cannabis.
Even for these two things, there has never been much support in the past: the stereotype of being a “hungry artist” and not making money in an artist’s career, or marijuana with the stigma that would follow him and his users. But it is good to know that a large community is now developing around both aspects and that people are increasingly accepting different lifestyles.
MARTHA WADE
Leaf: What’s the hardest and most rewarding lesson you’ve learned as an artist?
Martha Wade: The hardest and most rewarding lesson I’ve learned as an artist is that my work is a direct reflection of my own thoughts, feelings, and perception of the world. Being an artist has forced me to deal with my own insecurities and become a better person. When people ask about a painting and want to know my deepest thoughts about what leads to one [specific] Creation I have to look inward and figure out how to get my message across.
This has been a challenging process as I have found it difficult to open up in the past. Now I realize that it has helped me deal with my own emotions and in return, better communicate how I feel and how that led to the painting.
Leaf: What rituals have you created around cannabis?
Martha: My father passed away recently. It was tough because my father was my best friend and a fellow artist. For the past few months, I have felt overwhelmed with life as I mourned its loss. Cannabis has helped cope with some of these feelings as well [has] was something of a mood stabilizer.
Leaf: What does it mean to be an Illinois artist?
Martha: Being an Illinois artist means having midwestern values while also coming from the third largest city in the United States. Growing up here is a blessing in that we are blessed with diversity and so much culture.
We couldn’t agree more! Each of these artists bring their own feelings and wonders to their communities and beyond.
Check out Anthony Lewellen, Sergio Farfan, and Martha Wade below. And if you’re in Illinois and want to own one of these beautiful rolling trays, take part and win one from Leafly.
Anthony Lewellen
I G: @antckone
Website: www.anthonylewellen.com
Sergio Farfan
I G: @farfanart
Website: www.sergiofarfan.com
Martha Wade
I G: @wadecreate
Website: www.wadecreate.com
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