Billy Keith

Billy Keith is a self-taught Kentucky artist based in Louisville who has built a unique career around “solar combustion art”—a technique in which he uses large Fresnel lenses or magnifying lenses to concentrate sunlight into a searing focal point and burn images directly into wood. By carefully aligning the lens and controlling the movement of the sun’s energy, he draws free-hand using heat alone, creating detailed depictions of trees, leaves, landscapes, and other natural forms.