Oceanside, Calif.-based Minx, Inc. is supporting the Haiti relief effort by creating three new limited edition Minx designs with artwork by Haitian resident and artist Carlo Valtrain. Carlo was born on October 26, 1959 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and began drawing and painting at age eight. He sold his first painting at age 14, and at 16 he left school to begin work as a full-time artist. His work is known for its intricate foliage, colorful birds and wildlife, and social commentary scenes depicting the difficulties of life in Haiti.

The three new Minx designs feature components of “Small Birds in Foliage,” an original work created by Carlo. Carlo has been personally affected by the quake, as he still lives in Port-au-Prince and supports his seven children and elderly parents.

Minx co-founder Janice Jordan explains, “We are hard pressed to find words to describe this tragedy, and we absolutely wanted to do something to help the people of Haiti. We decided to use Carlo’s paintings to create the special edition Minx because that gave us the added opportunity to showcase a very talented artist that the rest of the world has not had a chance to see.”

The new designs are available to nail professionals through the www.MinxNails.com web site. $4.00 from each purchase will be donated directly to Food for the Poor and an additional $1.00 will be provided to the artist. Options for additional contributions are also available online.

The special edition Haitian Relief Minx will only be available for sale until the end of July 2010.

— Tim