If you have not yet heard of Ron English - well meet one of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive today.  Basically Ron was doing Banksy like street art prankster stuff, while Banksy was still in diapers.  Now they are peers of course, but let’s recognize the Dinosaur in the room; Ron English has bombed the global landscape with unforgettable images, on the street, in museums, in movies, books and television since the early 90’s. Today we are celebrating what is our second amazing strain art piece from Ron; the straight gangsta rendition of Grand Daddy Purple, but we shall also mention that the first was his picture perfect take on the infamous strain; Chernobyl. 

English coined the term POPaganda to describe his signature mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history, populated with his vast and constantly growing arsenal of original characters, including MC Supersized, the obese fast-food mascot featured in the hit movie “Supersize Me,” and Abraham Obama, the fusion of America’s 16th and 44th Presidents, an image widely discussed in the media as directly impacting the 2008 election. Other characters carousing through English’s art, in paintings, billboards, and sculpture include three-eyed rabbits, udderly delicious cowgirls and grinning skulls, blending stunning visuals with the bitingly humorous undertones of America’s Premier Pop Iconoclast.

Califari connected with Ron English when Califari founder, Jason McHugh, placed a duo of his heirloom psychedelic Art-light-boxes in the multimedia fine art show that Ron was curating for the unique force of nature known as South Park.  It was an incredible show that took over several galleries from Manhattan to Comic Con and presented fine art renditions of South Park.  McHugh submitted a battling duo of light boxes that depicted the battle of Santa vs Jesus  from the original Spirit of Christmas cartoon aka the precursor to South Park.  The battle scene was remixed with the 1969 original by poster art by Satty, an artist who was one of the incredible contributors to the East Totem West an art collective that McHugh’s parents founded in 1967.

But let’s shift gears from Art to talk about cannabis (what else do we talk about? oh yeah music…)

We actually got to meet the actual breeder and creator of Grand Daddy Purple and his name is Ken Estes or @kenestes who’s original genetics can be still be found at select Emerald Triangle Farms and beyond…  We met Ken during our first year of official business, whilst vending at ye olde Reggae on The River up in Garberville, where we have had many formative experiences over the years. Ken Estes is a Vietnam Vet, who turned to medical marijuana many years ago way before it was legal.  Ken rolled up to our booth in a wheel chair wearing a mighty sombrero and we proceeded to talk about weed and he introduced himself as basically the father of Grand Daddy Purple… I was humbled in his presence as he was the first World Famous Cannabis Breeder that I have ever met.  I will tell ya - it was exactly like meeting a rock star whose music you love and I should know because I have probably worked with more rock stars than you can shake a stem at.

Anyhow Ken was super cool  down to earth and of course quite passionate about all topics cannabis as we discussed strain images, genetics, licensing and the whole gamut because he was of the original cannabis men and I was curious cannabis lover from way back with my own angle on the mighty plant. Ken was trying to figure out issues around cannabis genetics heritage and ownership, which is a fascinating and fast moving topic as the plant emerges from the shadows and the corporate sharks swim into the pond.

Grand Daddy Purple (or GDP) is a famous indica cross between Purple Urkle and Big Bud.  This California staple inherits a complex grape and berry aroma from its Purple Urkle parent, while Big Bud passes on its oversized, compact bud structure. GDP flowers bloom in shades of deep purple, a contrastive backdrop for its snow-like dusting of white crystal resin.  From San Francisco down to Los Angeles, Grand Daddy Purple is one of the most sought after Indica strains due to it’s Hollywood looks and classic Indica effects.

Its potent psychoactive effects are clearly detectable in both mind and body, delivering a fusion of cerebral euphoria and physical relaxation. While your thoughts may float in a dreamy buzz, your body is more likely to find itself fixed in one spot for the duration of GDP’s effects. Like most heavy indica varieties, Grand Daddy Purple is typically pulled off the shelf to treat pain, stress, insomnia, appetite loss and muscle spasms.

GDP blesses growers with massive commercial yields which are ready for harvest following a 60 day flowering time indoors.  This strain grows best indoors but can be grown outside as well. Flowering commences usually around 70-77 days when grown indoors and growers can expect harvest in early October when grown outdoors.

Grand Daddy Purple is ideally named as it truly represents one of the original power house strains to emerge from Nor Cal and dominate the world cannabis stage for many years.  GDP is a true original that of course has spawned many good times as well as major pain relief for Ken Estes and many veterans just like him.   We were recently re-inspired about all things GDP when we saw original “Ken Estes GDP” available at Dark Heart Nursery.  Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.