Upon initial glance, the works created by artist Joe Palec may seem like the frenetic doodles of a madman. However, when you take time to really digest his pieces, you realize that each one is filled with wickedly clever twists on recognizable, cohesive motifs.

This distinct combination has allowed Palec’s career to take many unexpected turns.

Having worked as both an artist and a member of the legal cannabis community for years in Denver (after leaving his Wisconsin college in the rear-view mirror), Palec has been able to successfully fuse these passions together, forming a career that most artists only dream of.

 

Your art feels like Keith Haring and Mr. Doodle had a child conceived on Nepalese mad honey. With that said, who have been your biggest influences that have helped to develop your style?

Love Keith Haring, love Mr. Doodle, both of them are great. I feel like I had my style before I knew who Mr. Doodle was. But, it’s good to see line work being popular right now. But my influences, by far, have been ‘Where’s Waldo?’ It was the coolest book to read for a kid, because there were no words. What was so infatuating was, with all the little stories within it that made it fun, so I just wanted to create artwork that was fun.

Your work is definitely whimsical (especially our favorite piece “Michael and Jason: A Love Story”) and we love it. Was there ever a time in your artistic journey that you thought about going more “traditional”; the laborious oil paints, canvasses, etc.?

“Oh yeah. Any art student will tell you that they’re kind of forced into trying these things out. I’ll be the most honest one you’ll meet; I’m just not good at it, you know? [laughs] I feel like I’m faking it if I try to do those kinds of things. It doesn’t mean I don’t try experimenting. As you know, I love black and white, but I’ve been experimenting with color. Even right now I’m making four guitars that actually all have color to them.”   

With the large scale of some of your pieces, how long does it take to do a room, mural, etc.?

It kind of depends on how long the client will let me stay at their house. [laughs] I’ve worked on these bathrooms, or other giant rooms, in four days sometimes. And that’s like, waking up at the break of dawn and working until two in the morning. It’s not my favorite thing to do. The biggest would probably be, there was a ceiling I did for someone’s house in the Bahamas. It’s definitely huge by square foot, the hard part was, it was a ceiling. I’m there crouching into different positions, so, what would normally take me five days, ended up taking 10. The end result was amazing.

You have joined up with a number of different businesses that utilize your artwork like Veritas—where your art is used on a number of different applications like skis—along with companies like O.pen. How many companies do you work with and how did these collaborations come about?

Before this interview, I tried listing off all the companies that I’ve worked for that’s cannabis and the like—it’s up there. And, five years ago, I never thought that would be possible. Cannabis brands, I would say, like 15 or 20. One of the biggest ones, and you mentioned O.pen, and Veritas, and those are great, but lately it’s been Bud and Mary. They have been so nice to me, and given me multiple projects. And then Native Roots gave me that giant mural at their airport store. Those are the two that have been the biggest and the latest, but, really, what got me into working with the companies was being in the industry. Making friends, networking, and again, these people knew me as ‘Sales-Person Joe,’ then, all of a sudden, they check out my Instagram, or meet me at a party, and they’re like ‘Woah, Joe has this other hidden talent, we want to utilize that and give him the spotlight.’

If a new artist wants to get into the world of branding and seeing their artwork plastered on various items, what advice would you give to them?

Number one, you just have to be nice to everybody. You never know, you could be at a bar, you could be at a Target, and if you’re nice to the right person, they’re going to want to put you up. And if they see that you have the talent, they’re going to want to put you up even more. Second is, you just have to ask. Sometimes these things don’t happen unless you ask. Those are the big two, but you also have to have talent. I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but I just mean, practice. I mean, if you’re passionate about something, don’t settle for being ‘OK.’ You’ve gotta keep practicing and keep getting better and better and better. 

What does the future hold for Joe Palec? Please, feel free to promote the Hell out of yourself.

Like I said, more cannabis stuff. It’s happening, it’s when I put out one project, another one happens. So, Bud and Mary’s have been nice to me. I have also been working with a lot of restaurants, which has always been a dream of mine. Specifically, Odell’s Bagels, Little Arthur’s, and King of Wings. Three great restaurants that just keep giving me projects all the time. But, right now, I’m working on Christmas stuff, Christmas presents. Then, I’m going to the Hamptons to do a mural for someone. I’m nervous as all Hell, but I’m very excited.