LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Billy Keith is a solar artist. He uses sunlight as his tool to create artwork burned directly into wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn a lot by standing in the sun all day,\u201d Keith said.<\/p>\n
Keith said he introduces himself as \u201cthe sun man,\u201d and his goal is to make more art in public.<\/p>\n
His work starts with something he cannot hold in his hand: sunlight. <\/p>\n
Keith uses a large magnifying lens \u2014 a Fresnel lens \u2014 to concentrate the sun into a tiny point of light, hot enough to burn designs into wood. Keith works without stencils, printers or shortcuts, creating each piece freehand line by line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s taken me 16 years to get to where I can do this so fast smooth over and over again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Keith said part of the process is keeping the concentrated point of light moving. When he makes an error, he keeps going.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo mistakes. I just Bob Ross that. Just keep on going. Happy accident,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Keith said he got into the art after what he described as a near-death experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cNear-death experience after a night out of drinking Easter weekend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Keith said he heard what he described as a whisper telling him, \u201cYou\u2019re done drinking. Make art with the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not die\u2026 this is what I was saved to do and I better be doing it,\u201d Keith said.<\/p>\n
Keith said each piece has a story. He\u2019s made many trees, landscapes, animals, and plants just to name a few.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the day I saved the cat from a tree,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Keith sells his work online and travels for events and festivals around the region. He said he likes creating art publicly so he can talk with people about it.<\/p>\n
Keith said he can also make solar art in winter as long as the sun is out. He also uses bingo dabbers to paint his work, a method he said he discovered after finding a bingo dabber on the street.<\/p>\n