Anita Toke – Featured Marijuana Artist

Stonerdays recently interviewed marijuana artist Anita Toke, with her open mind and energized spirit Antia’s stoner art is truly incredible. Here’s how it went.

Stonerdays: What’s your name and where are you from?

 My name is Anita Toke (of course that’s my real name, are you high?) and I am originally from Santa Barbara, California, but now live in Baja, CA, Mexico near Ensenada.

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Stonerdays: What are your favorite subjects to paint?

I love celebrating cannabis friendly subjects. Weed has been vilified for way too long. Everyone I know smokes pot and it’s time to just stop lying about it. I love doing portraiture of smokers, and lately I have been doing renditions of magnified trichomes and flowers.  

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Stonerdays: How did you get into art? How long have you been Painting?

 I’ve been painting for about 8 yrs. Before that, I worked in Silicon Valley and was just so burned out on the whole money thing. I decided to just change my life. I made a goal to be mostly retired by 55, but I knew that I was not in a position financially (in the traditional sense) to do that, so I just started to shift my awareness and focus. One of the things I had always wanted to do was paint, but had never tried because my younger sister was a very accomplished artist and it felt like treading on her territory. So, in spite of that feeling, I started to take some lessons and found that I had a skill that I was totally not aware of. I sold my 3rd and 4th paintings in a show. I was doing landscapes and seascapes mostly in the beginning. 

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Stonerdays: How long do you usually spend on one piece and what mediums are you using?

I use only acrylic now. I started out using oils, and although there were aspects about oil paint that I like, they are also highly toxic and I just decided I didn’t want to breathe solvents all day. I probably spend between 4-12 hrs on a piece, depending on size and complexity, and detail. It’s hard for me to sit and paint more than a couple hours at a time, so I mix it up with some online work that I do.

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Stonerdays: What kind of paintbrushes, paint and canvases are you using?

I paint with brushes. When I first started painting, of course, I had no idea what my preference would be for brushes, paints, etc. but after awhile I found myself buying Golden paints more frequently than anything else. I just prefer the consistency of the Golden Heavy Body line of paints, and they have a great selection of colors. I paint on both canvas, and lately, deep gallery wrap board, which is a thin, plywood skin mounted on 1 1/2″ deep bars. It makes a nice, hard smooth surface and is great for portraits. I’ve also painted on cloth and put some buds on a little bag recently that came out cool. I painted a dude’s jumpsuit. He works the strip in Las Vegas as Captain Cannabis and I painted huge plants up the front and back, and some other decorations all over his suit. I painting his boots, and other accessories. It was a fun project. I wish the dude would pay me the other $500 he owes me though…if you see him, tell him to pay up! haha

Stonerdays: What is your favorite way to smoke marijuana?

Man, this Mexican weed is so lame. Occasionally I’ll get something kinda good, or someone will sneak some medicinal stuff down from CA. (which is kinda funny…smuggling weed INTO Mexico) I usually just hit a little glass pipe, or I’ll roll one. I suck at rolling though, and admittedly use a machine. Not too into bongs..I usually kick them over and they break! I used to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Blue Dream when I could get it. I’m a sativa kinda girl for sure. I’ll have my pipe by me while I paint, usually, and hit it now and then. Sit back and look at the painting, deciding what’s next…

Stonerdays: What inspires you? What kind of music do you listen to while you paint?

Depends on my mood, but usually I like to get energized before I paint. Sometimes I’ll put on some good dance music; trance or disco, and dance around before I paint to loose things up, free my mind, get some energy moving, you know. Reggae is always right there. I just discovered iTunes radio, so I have been playing some Latin music stations, trying to improve my Spanish. I can’t really do left-brained things like listen to talk shows or study Spanish while I’m painting… it’s to incongruous for the creative process.

Stonerdays: Who’s your favorite artist/painter?

Wow. That’s just an impossible question for me. I have a wide range of art that I like. I have a number of contemporary friend’s whose art I enjoy and collect. I really like color, and have been accused of being a fauvist myself. I like simplicity and color and boldness. I am not into photo-realism. To me, that’s just a skill, not really ‘art’ per se. Frida Kahlo is evocative, Van Gogh was just so wonderful with color, Gauguin. I don’t spend a lot of time looking at other art, though, I’m usually at the beach, doing yoga, riding my horse, or painting…or smoking a bowl! lol

 Anita Toke