The Art of Weed: A Partnership Between Popular Artists and a Business Trade Journal is Changing the Face of an Industry

LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Art has imitated life since early man drew the first outline on a cave wall. Societies use images to represent their culture to the outside world, indicating how they perceive themselves. But life also imitates art, with cultures using graphic designs to remind themselves who they are and who they aspire to be.

mg Magazine, the elder statesman of cannabis business publications, brings intra- and extra-industry perceptions together in an ongoing series of high-concept cover images representing the business of cannabis. Created by popular mainstream artists, the covers inspire new insights about cannabis culture both inside and outside the industry.

It has been a great honor to play such an important roll in helping change the perception of this new and emerging marketplace. We are fortunate to have such a talented pool of artists and journalists approach mg to showcase their talents and we look forward to continuing this trend.

CANN Media Group, Darren Roberts

From its unbiased reporting to columnists who explain the industry with an insider’s perspective to statistics and industry analysis, mg provides authoritative coverage of a highly regulated, rapidly evolving industry that has become a potent economic engine. The artwork on notable covers represents equally important political and social commentary.

J.J. Kirby's cover for mg's July 2018 concentrates issue presents a modern interpretation of a classic Rube Goldberg machine. The drawing evokes not only a past rooted in clandestine necessity but also a present bursting with invention and a future filled potential to lead medical and scientific innovation. Kirby describes himself as a "penciller, inker, and colorist" whose 20-year career has included commissions from Marvel, Cartoon Network, DC, Visionscape, and Warner Bros.

Between the covers, writers and photographers examine the science behind tinctures, hash, shatter, butter, rosin, and other cannabis distillates and isolates, and columnists analyze legal issues impinging upon the connoisseur market.

To create January 2018's cover image of cannabis-industry activist and mogul Steve DeAngelo, David Flores employed his signature "stained glass" mosaic style. Flores, celebrated for his work as a street artist and muralist, has created limited-edition commercial items for iconic skateboard brands as well as Disney, Michelin, Nintendo, and The Simpsons. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at major shows in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and one piece was inducted into the Museum of Modern Art.

Inside the issue, DeAngelo waxes prophetic about the industry's future, Italian immigrants reveal the secret to their American success story, and a dispensary owner gives advice about selling sauce.

Jason Johnson's cover illustrating the cannabis industry's tense-but-hopeful relationship with politics began mg's collaboration with mainstream artists. Johnson has worked as a professional artist and illustrator for more than 20 years. Primarily known for his work with comics and graphic novels, he has completed commissions for Image, DC, Marvel, Zenescope, Lion Forge, Space Goat, and other publishers. He also has created concept art for Sony Online Entertainment and illustrations for Maxim and Penthouse magazines.

Behind the cover, staff pulled the blankets from the strange bedfellows pot and politics. From upcoming races in cannabis-legal states to dramas playing out on the national stage, mg took readers deep inside a political season fraught with challenges and opportunities.

"It has been a great honor to play such an important roll in helping change the perception of this new and emerging marketplace. We are fortunate to have such a talented pool of artists and journalists approach mg to showcase their talents and we look forward to continuing this trend," said Darren Roberts, president of CANN Media Group.

About mg: mg is the leading national trade media organization for the legal cannabis industry. Called "weed's hybrid of Forbes and Inc.," mg analyzes and demystifies the people, plants, and products fueling the unprecedented growth of a renegade business culture slowly emerging from decades of federal prohibition. Visit mgRetailer.com.

mg is a division of CANN Media Group LLC, which also publishes the trade journal CBD Today and a variety of supplements focused on specific verticals within the cannabis industry. Visit CANNmg.com.

Source: mg Magazine