Screen shots from a PCB that I’m designing — an analog electronic bird song generator with a primitive interface for adjusting the song, aka “patch bird.”
drawing
warbler studies /
Three studies of warblers for a new singing circuit (work in progress). The Red warbler lives in Mexico’s highlands, although its territory may become more northern as a consequence of climate change. The Cerulean warbler is considered to be at high risk of extinction due to human destruction of habitat. The Yellow warbler lives in North America and is thankfully not at risk for the moment.
Kokopelli /
Kokopelli, 2018. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 15" x 11"
I have a mysterious relationship with the spirit Kokopelli. Six years ago, I had a series of dreams in which I saw his iconic figure: a hunchbacked spirit playing the flute and tumbling around in somersaults. I also observed that he had rays of energy coming out of his back and head, sort of like a hedgehog or an armadillo reflecting sunlight. I didn't have any waking history with Kokopelli, so it was strange to "meet" him in a dream. From time to time, he pops up when I'm not expecting him -- this time, adopting the form of a circuit in the desert. This painting depicts two astable multivibrators and a 555 timer that are daisy-chained to generate sound through a piezo disk. Initially, I didn't have an overall form in mind for the circuit. I drew it organically, staying faithful to the electrical connections, because I enjoy the nerdy brain-teaser and the process of discovering shapes in artistic circuitry. Anyway, Kokopelli appeared ... and of course he did! Kokopelli is an electrical being who plays music, similar to my other sound-generating circuits. He also heralds the beginning of Spring, so maybe winter in Virginia is nearly over. What a sign of good luck all ways around.
Gray(ish) Tree Frog, 2018 /
Working on a tree frog. I've got my oscilloscope probe connected to its speaker wire so I can "see" the sound that he makes. (The creaking chair is me, not the frog...) The frog's call is entirely generated by the analog electronic circuit that you see on the front of the painting - like an electronic instrument. Below is the finished piece, "Gray(ish) Tree Frog," 2018. Watercolor and analog electronics on paper.
Above: different views of the frog's call using my oscilloscope. The differences that you see are consequent of the time and/or voltage interval that I used to adjust the display (like focusing in and out of sound). In other words, they're all the same signal, just different ways of looking at it.
Bluebird /
Bluebird from a work in progress, 2018. Watercolor and pencil on paper
Big blinkers /
Astable multivibrator with big blinkers (can't touch this woman), 2018. Watercolor sketch on joined paper.
Self Portrait / study /
Self Portrait, 2017. Graphite on paper
The white trace /
The white trace (from The Human Electric series), 2017. Watercolor and graphite on paper
The weather has been rainy lately, so I'm working in my studio on my Human Electric series -- exploring identity in the digital age. I'm applying for a Guggenheim fellowship to support this work, so fingers crossed that it will come through (!)