Photo by Leslie Simon.
In mid-January of this year, I took advantage of Amendment 64 and hopped on board with the thousands of other marijuana entrepreneurs that are starting new legal businesses here-- like 4:20-friendly speed dating, cannabis cooking classes, grow-house tours, and marijuana-based fine dining. Even after a few months, the excitement here in Denver is palpable-- really, it's growing. We're starting something great. People (and news stations, magazines, and documentaries crews) are flocking from all over the world to see what we've got going on. I think it's something to be proud of. I can't stop smiling-- not because I'm stoned (although yes, I am a smoker. It's not taboo to admit anymore), but because I can't believe how successful PP&P has already been, and because I'm having so much damn fun at each and every one of my classes.
Photo by Leslie Simon.
PP&P works like this: students pay $40 in advance to cover all of their art supplies, including paints, canvas, brushes, easels, etc... think "Mary Jane & Monet" instead of "Canvas & Cocktails". The classes are 2 hours long, and held in my home studio in Denver. What about the weed, you ask? It's BYOC (bring your own cannabis), although we have had several classes where different venues provided free samples of goodies and edibles (Nice Spice Catering makes a bitchin' marijuana-infused chicken lettuce wrap, I MUST say). No, you don't have to be an artist. Yes, you can come alone, or with a friend or a group. YES, you can smoke in class-- in fact, I encourage it! But, if you don't want to, that is absolutely cool as well.
Photo by Leslie Simon.
For me, the best part of starting PP&P so far is the connections I've made with other folks within the industry, like Brittany Driver - strain reviewer for The Cannabist and writer of the "Moms & Pot" column, Jane West of Edible Events Co., Carolyn Mackey of Nice Spice Catering, Leslie Simon, who is an amazing photographer/writer for The Westword and Toke of the Town, Ricardo Baca - the Denver Post's first marijuana editor (I'm still trying to get him to come paint!), Graham McBain of So Mile High Tours, the hilarious (yet professional!) crew from the Rolling Papers documentary, and so, so many others. They're just damn good business people who are in favor of legalization, and also like to smoke a little weed from time to time. It isn't catty or overly competitive, as all artists know the art world can sometimes be. We're all working towards the same thing here: to overcome the stigma of who and what pot smokers are, and what they can accomplish. And so far, what we can accomplish proves to be a lot.
Photo by Leslie Simon.
I'm still primarily an artist and my focus is on creating and selling work and commissions, but teaching classes is my new-found love. The folks who come to Puff, Pass & Paint are so diverse and from all different places and backgrounds, but they are the cream of the crop-- like, the best people that exist in the world. From the 80-year-old grandmother who came with her granddaughter, to the group of college students from Oklahoma on their spring break ("you mean we can actually smoke WHILE we paint?!"), to the moms who attended a class for a little rest, relaxation, and "me" time... in 10 or so classes that I've held thus far, everyone has been just amazing. Students can follow along with me while I'm working on a reference piece, but I always encourage them to take their own path if they're feeling inspired, too. Everyone relaxes and laughs, everyone chats, and everyone creates a piece that is different and original and so THEM. And after every class, while I'm cleaning out the brushes and scrubbing the palettes and washing the paint off of my face that I didn't know was there (even though a news crew was filming), I look around and think how damn lucky I am to be a part of something like this.
Photo by Leslie Simon.
Classes are held weekly, and the class schedule is available at www.puffpassandpaint.com. Contact puffpassandpaint@gmail.com with any questions. And come paint! Really, you should... you won't regret it. You're going to leave with a piece of your own art, a smile on your face, a bunch of new friends, and the warm fuzzies.
