Product: Boy Sees Hearts Skull and Smooch posters

Eric Telchin of Boy Sees Heart’s collage prints, made up of photos of randomly occurring hearts he takes with his iPhone, are a very cool way to say I love you. And, says the artist, they spread love long after they’re first seen. “The real impact of a Boy Sees Hearts print is not when the viewer first sees it. Rather, it’s several days later when they see a heart in a garbage can or a potato chip. When a person who’s having a bad day sees a heart on the street or in a grilled cheese sandwich, it transforms their day. I still get excited every time I see a heart".

How were these prints made?
It started with a puddle of melted ice cream. While hosting a party at my home in July, 2009, I was shocked to see a pool of melted ice cream take the shape of a heart on my kitchen counter. As my guests gazed in amazement, I snapped a photo with my iPhone. Over the next year and a half, hundreds of hearts manifested themselves in the strangest places: hearts in litter, hearts on dogs, hearts on trees, hearts in food. I captured each one with my phone’s camera. In September, 2010—on a whim—I started sharing these captured hearts on Facebook. When I started making art from them, people requested prints. Although I had a feeling that this was the start of something exciting, I couldn’t fathom what it would lead to. Within a few weeks, I launched Boy Sees Hearts, offering unique museum-quality prints. And the hearts kept coming. And coming... The Boy Sees Hearts Skull was the first representational piece I created with the found hearts. I thought it would be intriguing to transform the hearts into the image of a human skull, juxtaposing iconic representations of life and death, love and horror. When the skull print started generating buzz, I was inspired to create Smooch. I think these two pieces compliment each other really well.A puddle of ice cream changed the way I view the world. My intention with Boy Sees Hearts and these prints is to change the way the world views the world.

Can you tell us about the inspiration for Skull and Smooch?
Skull and Smooch were the first representational images I created. They exemplify the message of Boy Sees Hearts. They’re polar opposites of each other, yet they both tell the same story: It’s all about love.

What was the big aha! you had while creating this product?
I had the biggest ‘aha!’ within 24 hours of launching Boy Sees Hearts. I started receiving emails from people all across the world showing me hearts they’d seen: A heart-shaped rock a woman’s deceased son gave her a month before he died; a cancer survivor’s photo of a heart-shaped cancer cell from the day her oncologist gave her a clean bill of health decades ago. That’s when I realized that Boy Sees Hearts isn’t about me. Boy Sees Hearts is about something much larger. And I take that responsibility very seriously. 

Can you describe your creative process?
For me, the creative process is more about receiving than creating. But it extends far beyond creating art. My goal is to incorporate the mission of the artwork at all levels of the business, so everything I do involves creativity. I firmly believe that all aspects of Boy Sees Hearts, from the people I work with to the way the products are made, must stem from this core. I’m still seeing hearts, so I know I’m on the right track.

What do you love about what you do?
I love love! And I love that I have the opportunity to document it and make something beautiful with these images. My favorite part is how these pieces impact people’s lives in a positive way.

How would you sum up your aesthetic/design philosophy?
Ironically, I’m not really a heart person. Yet, I strive to take a symbol that is widely considered ‘cutesy’ or ‘cliché’ and transform it into prints which are raw, edgy and frenetic. I love that a strong percentage of my customers are men, who probably have never purchased something with a heart on it in their lives.

What are you working on next?
I’m really excited about the Limited Edition Gallery Series: larger-than-life pieces created for the collector and interior designers. These door-sized prints are printed on a special paper, backed with aluminum and faced with plexi-glass. Each piece looks like an illuminated sheet of glass. They’re like nothing you’ve ever seen. I also launched a line of apparel for men, women, kids and babies that translates the message of Boy Sees Hearts to shirts. 

What would you like to do other than your current occupation?
What could be more of a dream than creating unique artwork that inspires people to see love in their everyday lives? Down the road, I would love to collaborate with children around the world, encouraging them to see beauty in their surroundings. Boy Sees Hearts conveys a message that a person takes with them for the rest of their lives. I want the world to see hearts.