Painter Jeff Canham and woodworker Luke Bartels stumbled upon the idea to make birdhouses while sharing a studio space together in San Francisco. Now on view at local boutique The Curiosity Shoppe, their show “For the Birds” shows the mix of complimentary skills born of this friendship, a collection of birdhouses cleverly trimmed to mimic “seedy” urban counterparts.
Well-known for signage and design work for the likes of McSweeney’s Panorama newspaper, Canham remarks that the show is “a really great marriage of both our skills.” The bird abodes grew from an earlier collaborative project, in which the team made small pianos with painted faces. Realizing the shape echoed traditional birdhouses, “For the Birds” was born.
“For the Birds” runs through 9 May 2010.