YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown company that grows marijuana for medical use has introduced a program that benefits the arts community while also promoting its product.

In the Youngstown facility where marijuana is grown, Cleveland artist Bob Peck Tuesday afternoon painted a piece next to Riviera Creek Chairman Brian Kessler.

“Today, Riviera Creek is launching a whole artisan Ohio focused project,” Kessler said.

Kessler and Peck were surrounded by pouches of the company’s most popular marijuana brand “Stambaugh” and the tins covered with Peck’s art, in which, Stambaugh is being packaged and sold in a limited edition.

“Each one of these are hand-signed and numbered pieces that Bob did,” Kessler said.

“I’m a cannabis user myself, so it’s not something for me that I have any obligations to. Especially with Issue Two passing now, I think it’s really incredible for them and for everybody. So I was excited to work with the company and since I’ve been working with them, it’s been a good time,” Peck said.

Riviera Creek found Peck through the Cleveland-based non-profit Graffiti Heart, to which Riviera Creek made a $10,000 donation. Peck was paid $3,500 for the art on the tins.

“Yeah, it’s not too bad for sharing my art with the company,” Peck said.

“This way, Bob gets an opportunity to get his products out to people who have never seen his work before, and people get to know about what artists are doing in Ohio,” Kessler said.

Next year, Riviera Creek will hold a contest and pick a different artist to put on display.

“So next year, we’ll constantly be supporting Ohio artisans through getting a cash contribution and getting their ability to have their product shipped all over the state,” Kessler said.

Once Peck is finished with the piece, Riviera Creek, through its social media sites and email lists, will auction the piece off with the money raised going to another artistic organization.