Cover Artist

Amanda Breeze
Jun 28
2 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

Man in a colorful patchwork outfit and cap stands in a field of tall plants, holding a matching bag, with a geometric animal sculpture nearby.

Black "Crater" text above red "Crater" on a white background. Bold, serif font, conveying a bold, contrasting design.

Spencer Charlton is the indie artist

sewing the cannabis industry's packaging problem into wearable art.

Representing Scarborough, Ontario, Spencer has gained international attention for his colourful, architectural assemblages and bold upcycled streetwear stitched together with unlikely materials: mylar bags and other single-use packaging salvaged from the mountain of trash generated by Canada’s growing cannabis industry.

“I’ve worked in dispensaries for years and seen the rise and fall of countless brands, each leaving behind a legacy of discarded packaging,” Spencer explains. “It's a visually interesting way to document products from the early days of legalization and raise awareness about the long-term impact of the excessive packaging problem.”

Colorful duffel bag with various label designs and logos; black handles. White background, bold, vibrant patterns create a playful mood.

As a lifelong cannabis consumer now working in the industry, instead of adding to the problem, Spencer decided to make it his medium. “I use the packaging of at least one product I've personally consumed in every piece I create—like an ‘easter egg.’ It started as a way to represent my relationship with the plant because cannabis has always helped me think freely and come up with new ideas for projects.”

Trash Panda, the life-sized raccoon featured on the cover of this magazine, is one of Spencer's favourite pieces. “As Toronto’s unofficial mascot, I picked a raccoon to deliver my first message to the cannabis industry, and it resonated with people instantly.”

Another of his fave pieces is Packaged ON, a massive, stylized map of Ontario commissioned by the Ontario Cannabis Store. To create the piece, Spencer needed to source a lot of raw materials, so he set up collection bins at dispensaries across the province to enlist the community’s help.

Completely surrounded by stacks of colourful mylar in his studio, Spencer has big plans for the future—literally. He's scaling up and experimenting with more dispensary remnants like plastic jars and doob tubes.

“I think having all these pieces in one room would be the most effective way to convey my message,” says Spencer, hinting at a future art show. “I want to spotlight the unsustainable trash and single-use plastics that would've ended up in a landfill if I hadn't intervened.”

“I'm heavily influenced by the DIY and upcycling movements. And I’m constantly experimenting with different processes to create more art and clothing with cannabis packaging as my primary medium. Most people learn to sew with fabric, but I learned by sewing plastic," laughs Spencer.

“As creatives, we need to find ways to give post-consumer waste a second life— and that's what I'm doing. Sustainability and recycling are at the core of what I do as an artist.”

Scultpure of an elephant and hippo made from colorful recycled plastic packaging on a white background. Red text: "Most people learn to sew with fabric..."

SPENCER CHARLTON @cratercrater Representing the cannabis industry for the first time at the 2024 Pop Culture Association National Conference in Chicago, Spencer is the Toronto-based artist sparking conversations about sustainability and packaging.