It’s no news to anyone that the earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti destroyed much of the city and that many organizations have tried to raise funds for new development in the country. It is refreshing to hear that artists, like Erik Otto, are using their work to help in these efforts. Erik recently released a print which he chose to pair with Architecture for Humanity. A non profit that uses open source design to build projects for people in need. Otto will be donating 15% of each print sold to Architecture for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

The beautiful 12″ by 12″ piece is called “Gathering”. It is inspired by the idea of a collective consciousness reaching for the same source. Erik scavenged 25 different record sleeves, which he has up-cycled as the canvas for his print. Each print in the edition is made by hand with a combination of house paint, spray paint and screenprinting. Due to the handmade nature of Erik’s process, there are slight variations amongst the prints, making each one a one-of-a-kind.

Adressing the failures of technology is a fair premise for creating art work, especially in the technology dependent society that we are a part of. It is on this premise that we find the work of painter and printmaker, Ryan McIntosh. The overall driving theme in McIntosh’ work is the failure of technology and it’s impact on human life and art. He addresses these issues in many mediums including sculpture and digital media, but it can also be found in the form of street art as wheat pastings and stickers.

While there is a lot to talk about in his body of work, the safety card images are the most striking. The series depicts airplane disasters which he paints from appropiated airplane safety manual imagery. “The safety card images are the most simple, plasticized pictograms of the most basic and urgent form of visual communication. With no language barrier present in the images, they are universally understandable by all. These images and photographic paintings hold a mirror up the time and culture in which they were produced.” McIntosh explains.

To see more of Ryan’s work you can go to his website at www.ryanmcintosh.net. Currently, you can find Ryan’s work at the Inflate/Deflate group exhibition at Studio 304 in Providence, Rhode Island. Also, stay tuned for an interview with the artist in the near future.

The film maker Sarah Fisher is putting together a provocative documentary focused on renowned artist and muralist, Chor Boogie. “Spraypaint: The Fine Art of Aerosol”, as the movie will be called focuses on the life and work of Chor Boogie. It provides incredible insight into the artist’s life. So far the team has collected over 40 hours of footage including top artists such as Pose2, Apex and Neon.

In order to complete the production phase on the documentary the small group of filmmakers need to raise 5000 dollars in funds, all of which will be put to good use. The team has a strict deadline of March 7th to raise the money, so please go to their kick starter website by clicking here and donate as much as you can. Because it is a low budget film, every little bit helps.

If you are not familiar with Chor Boogies work and process check out the Senses Lost TV video below of him painting in Toronto. You can also see more of Chor’s work on his website at www.chorboogie.com You can check out the film’s wordpress by clicking here.

I recently stumbled upon the super graphic and layered work of artist Jennifer Sanchez. The New York City based artist paints series of carefully crafted geometric shapes as the background for impromptu marks. These marks vary from beautifully winding calligraphy to preliminary scribbles. In between her layers one finds the occasional mistake; drips, smears and fading which she leaves as artifacts to her process. They serve as a window where one sees the amount of experimentation that goes into her work.

Constantly adapting and responding to her paintings, Jennifer’s new body of work is also changing. The artist describes her transition as “getting a lot looser.” This looseness is especially important when using Krink markers which have helped the artist loosen up her mark making and introduce grit and disorder to juxtapose with the carnivalesque colors and geometries of her early work.

You can find Jennifer’s work on her website at miss-sanchez.com You can also grab a limited edition print release at 20×200 or by clicking here. Stay tuned for an interview with Jennifer right here on Curbs and Stoops.

The Amsterdam based artist, Hanneke Treffers aka Handiedan has been staying busy with art shows, print releases and interviews. Although she graduated in photographic design from the Academy of Art and Design St Joost in the Netherlands, her art expands into many formats and mediums. Her marks have a very graphic quality which when collaged with old music sheet, money and other unused relics give a feeling of contemporary antiquity.

The Posters and Prints blog describes Handiedan’s “incredible way of composing her art pieces, part burlesque, part wild wild west, part lust, part greed.” You will get a lot of chances to see Handiedan’s work, with an interview on Arrested Motion, several group exhibitions around the world, and a screen print release with Phone Booth Gallery.

Handiedan will take part in a group exhibition called “Elements” which includes French artist, Amose and UK based artist Rourk Van Dal. The exhibition will be at Art Asylum Boston. The show is “representing the fundamentals in mixing art and imagination! Collage and assemblage art are compositions of various elements (such as paper, wood, fabric, and other found objects) fused together for an amazing result of aesthetic beauty.”