open studio

WIP painting parrots by kelly heaton

Details of a new work in progress — “Parrots,” acrylic painting on an etched copper circuit board (fiberglass panel) with lead metallic overlay (HASL).

Patch Bird by kelly heaton

A new circuit board edition titled “Patch Bird,” 2019. Analog electronics, copper etching, patina, and acrylic on fiberglass panel. The image on the right shows the backlighting turned on.

The Making of a Pretty Bird by kelly heaton

The Making of a Pretty Bird, 2019. A series of 3 printed circuit boards each measuring 12” x 18”. Etched copper, gold electroplate, and silkscreen on epoxy laminate.

The Making of a Pretty Bird, 2019. A series of 3 printed circuit boards each measuring 12” x 18”. Etched copper, gold electroplate, and silkscreen on epoxy laminate.

Created for a hotel in Chattanooga, TN, this series shows my process to make artistic printed circuit boards. The first panel contains my schematic diagram for a sound-generating circuit that “sings" like a bird. In the central panel, my electronic design has been translated into conductive copper metal --the essence of a functional circuit. Multiple production layers including copper, solder mask, silkscreen, and gold electroplate are assembled in the final panel to create a work of aesthetic and electronic art as seen here.

This work is available for purchase. For inquiries, please email me.

Night birds in a PCB by kelly heaton

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.”