Chris Wilson Kicks Off Artful Voices: Conversations With Creatives

• This week, we’re kicking off a new column in an interview with the endlessly inspiring Chris Wilson.
• Artful Voices: Conversations with Creatives will be an ongoing series that illuminates the intersection of creativity, cannabis, and social justice in the creative process.
• Read on to learn more about how they all figure in Chris’ life and work.

8-minute read

Introducing Artful Voices

We’re delighted to unveil our latest column in The Drawing Room, Artful Voices: Conversations with Creatives, with the endlessly inspiring Chris Wilson. Since art is woven into our DNA, we’re passionate about showcasing the intersection of creativity, cannabis, and social justice. Chris embodies these ideals with his exceptional writing, public speaking, art, and activism. His upcoming collaboration  on a television series with Tarell Alvin McCraney, the writer of Moonlight, has us on the edge of our seats in anticipation. In the tradition of the Colbert Questionert and James Lipton’s legendary quiz on Inside the Actors Studio, our new questionnaire illuminates the creative processes of our favorite artists. We couldn’t think of a more fitting person to kick it off than Chris. His remarkable work speaks volumes about the power of artistic expression to transform lives and communities. Here’s what inspires him most.

House of Puff: What’s One Thing You’re Exploring In Your Work Right Now?

Chris Wilson on Abstract Expressionism

I’m currently exploring abstract expressionism. What I really enjoy about this space is that you create unconsciously. Like whatever’s inside of you, you put on the canvas. I find that really interesting. And I’ve been studying other abstract expressionists, like Jackson Pollock. People mostly know his drip paintings. But there’s a lot more. I dabbled in dripping—I enjoy letting the paint do its thing and manipulating it with heat and all kinds of stuff. Like he did, I also like to work with my canvas on the floor. And listening to music is awesome. I especially like making big, abstract paintings. in my houses, I usually have big paintings (that I’ve made or collected) up. Abstract work is actually really difficult to make, and I’ve been struggling with whether or not it’s good. I think all artists struggle with that. But I find the process really cathartic.

House of Puff: If You Could Time Travel, What’s The One Thing You’d Most Like to Experience High?

Chris Wilson on High Time Traveling

I’d love to be in a cafe in France back with Picasso and Modigliani and all of those guys. Just drinking, dancing, smoking, and talking about art. I nerd out talking about art all the time. So, I could talk about it for hours. And something like that, just being at some cafe back in the day with a cool hat and scarf—and doing shots of whiskey and talking about art.

House of Puff: What’s The One Thing You Do Daily to Spark Creativity?

Chris Wilson on His Creative Process

Well, there’s a theme here—I smoke weed. A little bit of sativa to spark creativity. I also usually watch an hour of instructional YouTube videos about art—the technical stuff because I’m self taught. So, I try to learn a new technique or strategy to make something. I do it for about an hour, usually very early in the morning. Like 4 or 5am.

House of Puff: Who’s One Artist From The Past Who You Think Consumed Cannabis?

Chris Wilson on Picasso

I mean, Pollock would be a no brainer. But I’ll say Picasso. That’s because, when he was young and went to art school, his style of painting was like he was being molded to paint like the Old Masters. I know he was inspired by other stuff, like African masks. But he deviated and broke the rules with his lines, his style, and his portraits of the women in his life. That wasn’t going on at the time. It was an acquired taste. Looking at his work, he had to be smoking some weed or something to make him color outside the lines like that.

House of Puff: What’s The One Element That’s Always In Your Work?

Chris Wilson on Easter Eggs

That’s a good question. First, it depends on which style. When I’m doing figurative work, I always put the number 96 in my paintings. That was the year I went to prison and my life changed. So, 96 is like the second phase of my life. I’ve been painting for, like, 9 years. But you can go back and look at every painting, and it’s there. There might be a dirt bike, and it’s 96 on the dirt bike. It might be a phone with 96 text messages. But it’s always there. I usually don’t tell people, but, when I do, they go back and say, “Oh, I see it.” I always sneak it in. Then, there are usually bright colors. I try to put pink in a lot of my stuff. My favorite color is pink or magenta. But I can’t always sneak that in.

House of Puff: In What Way Does Cannabis Contribute Most to Your Creativity?

Chris Wilson on Cannabis and Creativity

I battle with depression. And I have long COVID, which I got in January, 2020—before we knew it was in the country. I was having pain in my chest, hurting, and shivering—I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Edibles got me through. I even took the labels off the cannabis I used when I was first sick and put them into a painting titled, The Things that Kept Me Alive. But back to creativity. When I smoke a little bit of sativa, I start getting shit done. So, for me as an artist, it’s part of my natural process. I’m thinking about how I’ve got to start this piece and I’m doing prep work and putting tape around the canvas. I’ve got my jar of weed, and I like to use my little one hitters. Then, I’m activated. I put my house music on and paint all night.

House of Puff: Which Artist Has Influenced You Most?

Chris Wilson on His Artistic Mentor

Jeffrey Kent, who’s a Baltimore-based artist and a very eccentric person. He’s particular about everything, especially food. I mean, he’s a serious germaphobe. But he was the person who got me into art, and he challenges me constantly about art. We talk about it all the time. Even some of my style is derived from his work. Vibrant colors…and we both listen to house music when we work. In fact, he introduced me to house music. And he has not only influenced my life, but he’s influenced a handful of artists who are out there doing amazing things right now. I call him the kingmaker of artists. You just have to be around him for a little bit. You talk to him and you vibe and the next thing you know, you just shoot off into the stratosphere.

House of Puff: What’s One Piece Of Advice You’d Give To Others About Using Cannabis?

Chris Wilson’s Advice about Cannabis

I say this when I go into the prisons to talk to folks. Just get your fucking work done. First, do what you got to do. And then you can smoke it. If you get up in the morning and you just smoke weed all day and don’t get your work done, that makes you a loser. But you can smoke it. Just get your shit done, and then smoke it.

House of Puff: Living Or Dead, Who Would You Most Like To Talk To About Your Work?

Chris Wilson on Sharing His Work With His Mom

Living or dead? My mom. She never got the chance to see me become an artist. And I’ve made many paintings about my mom. I’ve also been offered tons of money from people to buy these paintings. But I don’t sell them. So, I wish she could see them.

House of Puff: What Cannabis Product Are You’re Loving Most Right Now?

Chris Wilson On His Collab With House of Puff

My House of Puff x Chris Wilson papers. And I’m not just saying this. All my friends use these papers, and they say they burn different. I’m just like, “Are you just saying that?” And they’re like, no, seriously these papers are so good. I always have them, and I don’t let anybody roll or do anything around me if it’s not with my papers. It’s like disrespecting the weed or something. I’m like, y’all know what it is.

House of Puff: If You Could Only Enjoy One Work Of Art For The Rest Of Your Life, Which One Would It Be?

Chris Wilson on Guernica

Guernica by Picasso. I always wanted to see when I was away. So, I started reading about how Picasso was reluctant to get involved with the Spanish civil war. But people told him he had to speak to the atrocities happening in Spain. And he said, “I have nothing to do with this. I just make art.” But they said, “You’re more than that.” That’s when he made this painting. And he realized art could be used as a weapon—it was more powerful than just colors or shapes. It could speak. He inspired me because all my work is about something. So, I realized I could use art as a tool. When I was writing my book, I finally went to see Guernica. I couldn’t believe it—that I was free and standing in front of it and I knew what it was about. It was just beautiful. I was so thankful and humbled.

House of Puff: What’s One Thing You’d Like To Say To Cannabis Naysayers?

Chris Wilson on Cannabis and Healing

Smoke some of it before you have an opinion. It’s not a dangerous drug. It’s a plant that heals and has really helped save my life.