Artist Mars uses cannabis to express herself
Mariah Isbell-Becerra, also known as the artist Mars, grew up surrounded by art in many forms. Her grandma is a painter, a couple of her uncles work with pen, and her father was in cosmetology.
Art was always something that Mars enjoyed. But after years of not knowing how to really express herself, it was only a couple of years ago that she really started creating again.
Mars has been medicating with cannabis for about a decade and had wanted to paint cannabis for a long time but was not confident enough to try. Until recently.

‘Sherbet Sunset’ 16″ x 20″ by Mars
“Once I did, I was hooked, though,” Mars said. “Expect a lot more cannabis pieces to come!”
Cannabis helps her express herself and come up with ideas. It helps relieve anxiety so that her art flows nicely. Smoking cannabis also helps inspire her to create unique concepts from time to time. Her favorite strain to smoke while she paints? Any Cookies strain.

‘Belinda Be Dazed’ 12″ x 36″ by Mars
Mars’s inspiration can come from an image online, a dream, nature, or just closing her eyes in meditation.
“I explore so many different ways to begin a painting, because for me, that’s the hardest part,” Mars said. “Sometimes, just to get started, I’ll just pick colors and create an abstract background to help me come up with ideas for what’s next. Once I’ve started, it’s hard to get me to stop. I smoke frequently to ease anxiety while I paint so that I can let it flow. Once its done, I’ll sit it on my patio and spray it with a finish, then photograph it like crazy trying to get a good shot with my phone.”
During the day, Mars is a full-time administrative assistant. She considers art a wonderful hobby that she “is fortunate enough to make money from every once in awhile.”
Mars can be found on Instagram @artsy.planetmars, Facebook, Twitter @ArtsyPlanetmars, and TikTok @Artsy.PlanetMars
For more Illinois News Joint art features, click here.