open studio

Hotel Indigo Chattanooga / The Making of a Pretty Bird by kelly heaton

Kelly Heaton, The Making of a Pretty Bird, 2019. A series of three 12" x 18” panels. Copper, gold electroplate, and silkscreen on epoxy laminate.

I am thrilled to finally share these images of my series, “The Making of a Pretty Bird,” installed in the guest rooms of the Hotel Indigo in Chattanooga, TN. (Documentation of the installed work was delayed by COVID-19). The panels are actual printed circuit boards that I wall-mounted as works of art. The sequence illustrates the process by which I designed my birdsong-generating piece “Pretty Bird,” (2019) from engineering schematic to the etched copper to the final layered artifact. Some of the above images were taken at the factory in Shenzhen, China and document stages of the unorthodox method by which the art was produced. I created 121 of these series for the Hotel Indigo Chattanooga, and the series is open-ended for additional works on demand. (Please inquire)

Circuit Bird by kelly heaton

Documentation of “Circuit Bird,” 2021, an adjustable analog electronic circuit for birdsong generation. The art is made with custom electronic hardware, printed circuit boards, foiled chipboard, and screen-printed silk laminated on a wooden frame. Dimensions are 35” tall by 23.5” wide by 1.5” deep. Watch the video to hear the circuit vibrate with birdsong. Notice the modular components of the circuit: I separated the oscillators, the passive coupling filters, and the audio amplifier into separate (but connected) printed circuit boards. This design enables me to assemble different quantities and configurations of oscillators to create new artworks based on the principle of vibration.

happy holidays by kelly heaton

Holiday Card 2020. Edition of 25. Screenprint, vinyl, and archival inkjet print on paper. 5” x 7”

Happy holidays, everyone! May your season be merry, bright, and healthy. What a strange and transformative year … multi-layered, to say the least. There are new, alien forms emerging, promising to supplant the familiar. Use your energy to stay agile and move into the future with love.

Two Cricket Tableaux by kelly heaton

Two Cricket Tableaux (artist proofs 1 of 3), 2020. Archival inkjet print, printed circuit boards, and analog electronics on panel with artist-made frame. 8” x 10” x 2”

White Stag by kelly heaton

White Stag, 2020. Mixed media screen print on canvas panel, 48” x 36”
According to Arthurian legend, the white stag was legendary at evading capture. To see one signifies the beginning of a great spiritual quest…