Bluebird PCB v1.0, 2020. Printed circuit board (analog electronic birdsong generator)
open studio
freedom of speech /
Collect and support freedom of speech! I’ve donated a work from my limited edition “Mother Board” to the National Coalition Against Censorship. To preview and bid, visit http://vugalleries.com/product/kelly-heaton/
Top row: photos of the donated work, “Mother Board (Study 1/2),” 2020.
Bottom row: documentation of my stenciling process
Mother Board makes the irreverent claim that high-tech society has overwritten the Madonna icon, formerly possessed with a sanctimonious authority beyond reproach. In this work on canvas, a digital reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Madonna Litta” (c.1500) is partially obscured by circuit traces rendered in thick acrylic paint. A previously untouchable archetype, the Eurocentric Mother and Child has succumbed to electronic culture, anticolonialism, gender fluidity, and bioengineering.
Broward College STEAM Lecture /
This Wednesday, I’m speaking to Broward College about my career-long journey in art and science. Join us for free on Zoom (or watch the recorded lecture on YouTube - l’ll post the link when it’s ready). My live lecture starts at 11am (Wednesday, 10/14) and Zoom meeting ID is: 951 8628 4540.
Bluebird /
Bluebird, 2020. Printed circuit board.
I recently completed a new PCB design for manufacture. In addition to testing a new singing circuit, I am experimenting with the visual potential of inks available through conventional factories, for example, blue solder mask and bare copper. Above: The first two images are some of my machine production layers. The colorful image is my design reference file — illustrating how I expect the finished board to look.
Screen printing artistic printed circuit boards /
Screenprinted “Pretty Bird,” a very limited edition of 4 works on Arches 88 lb cotton rag with 2 artist’s proofs. Screenprint and vinyl, signed and numbered in graphite, 24” x 16”
Testing different techniques for screen printing artistic circuit boards.
The Moon /
Details of a new work in-progress: The Moon, inspired by Tarot.
Chinoiserie Bird Study /
“Chinoiserie Bird Study,” 2020. A series of three artist-made screen prints on canvas with acrylic, foil, and fretwork. 38” H x 23” wide (unframed - works will be custom framed by the artist).
I have been steadily developing my printmaking technique and chinoiserie aesthetic in preparation for a new series of botanical circuit boards. In these studies, I explored screen printing on canvas combined with a thick acrylic stencil application, metal foiling, and wooden fretwork.
Framing COVID Perroquets /
It’s always a pleasure to work with master craftsman, Peter Miller. He’s building custom frames for several of my COVID Perroquets prints, thanks to a collector who will display them as a collection of three.