The Renaissance of Herstory

ART & WORDS BY SAMANTHA ALESSI, STONEASAURUS

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York where I attended Catholic school and participated in D.A.R.E. All of this only confirmed in my young mind that cannabis was something I was very interested in trying. Which I promptly did as soon as I got to art school. Since then, I’ve discovered that not only is it fun, but it’s the only thing that helps me deal with the symptoms of living with PMDD. I’ve devoted myself personally and professionally to this plant. I’ve seen with my own eyes how it has healed and helped people reclaim their lives.

If my artwork can, at the very least, make someone question what they think they know about people who use cannabis, I’ll be happy.

I was inspired to start this project while I was working in a dispensary in Venice Beach. I’d take my breaks down on the boardwalk and see all these totally cheesy “stoner clothes”—cartoon hands rolling joint or, you know, posters of tattooed Marilyn Monroe smoking a blunt. None of those things were something I would ever spend money on, let alone hang on the walls of my home. All of it just seemed to encourage the exact sort of childish image that I was doing my best as a budtender to change. Adults can benefit from cannabis too! I wanted to make something that was a little more refined. Something that focused on women in a more positive way.

Something that was inclusive. Something that had a message, but was still fun! I had been dabbling in cannabis photography and I have a fairly strong background in art history, so one day I had the idea to combine the two.

DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE BY DAVID MARTIN

I went out of my way looking for art that had more intersectional subjects. The fact that it has been such a difficult search speaks volumes about the priorities of the society of the time. As well as the society we still live in, however, I feel like this painting is more an intimate representation of sisterhood than a commentary on anything political. It features Dido Elizabeth Belle (a name that may sound familiar, there was a movie made about her a couple of years ago) and Elizabeth Murray. I felt like this was a beautiful example of the camaraderie between two women. Cannabis brings them together in my version, just as it’s bringing together so many women all over the world.

FLOWER OF THE FIELDS - LOUIS JANMOT

This timeless beauty struck me as a goddess of nature. In the original, she’s holding flowers—poppies and buttercups and daisies, so I just switched them to flowers I like a little better! All of my work is meant to highlight the deep connection between women and cannabis, but I feel like this particular piece depicts it best. She is in a verdant field, surrounded by life. She is serene, content. No one is killing her vibe.

PORTRAIT OF A NEGRESS - MARIE GUILLEMINE BENOIST

I just love everything about this woman. One look, and you know she doesn’t take shit from anyone. And this painting, since its debut in 1800, has been a symbol of the movement for civil and women’s rights. In a world where the “war on drugs” has been rigged from the start against people of color, there’s no doubt in my mind that she would stand for legalization, expungement, and equity. The past can’t be undone, but there are ways in which this industry can attempt to include and make those communities whole again.

LA FEMME BLONDE - ALBERT MARQUET

Whenever I’m faced with a female nude, my first thought is always of the male gaze. La Femme Blonde doesn’t shrink from it or avoid it as is common. But, she also doesn’t stare down the viewer like Manet’s Olympia. She just gazes back, unaffected by her nudity. She doesn’t feel like a sexual object to me. She just feels natural. Like she just finished meditation and sparked her morning blunt, as per her routine.

JUDITH BEHEADING HOLOFERNES - ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI

Artemisia Gentileschi, the artist behind this painting, has been one of my favorite women in history for a long time. Her story is still sadly relevant. She was raised by her painter father and was allowed to practice in his studio with his students. When she was eighteen, one of those students (who was also her private tutor) raped her. Keep in mind that this was in 1611. They actually held a trial, but only after he backed out of marrying her to preserve her dignity. I’m sure you can imagine what happened to her rapist—a whole lot of nothing. Just like how we do things in 2018. Regardless of what happened to him, Artemisia went on to great success. She was known for this scene in which a woman named Judith and her maid beguile and behead an invading general named Holofernes. To give this depiction of female rage my own spin, I added a joint and a blunt held between their lips as they do their dirty work. I imagine it kept her hands steady.

The vintage art by Stoneasaurus was featured in our second print issue of MJ Lifestyle.