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With great excitement, we invite you to join un on Friday, September 5th from 5pm to 8pm for the opening reception of "SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION" - Works of Solar Pyrography by Billy Keith! Billy Keith is a self-taught solar combustion artist who uses large fresnel lenses and the power of the sun to burn images into wood. The lens concentrates the sun into a 2000° focal point, which burns into the wood as he moves it around and creates art "at the speed of his imagination." All of his pieces are freehand and made in the moment. He performs in public public on on sunny sunny days and enjoys explaining how the process works, and loves being able to share a moment of childlike wonder with people of all ages.
Billy has participated in many events locally and nationally, such as the How To Festival, the Big Four Arts Show, Connect at Bernheim Forest, Minnie Adkins Day in Kentucky, Finster Fest in Georgia, and Fearrington in North Carolina. His art has also been featured in the Folk Art Center in Morehead, Kentucky.
The last few years he has been interviewed by Spectrum news, WLKY, WDRB, Louisvill uisville Magazine, Bourbon With Heart, and the LEO. He has burned on small pieces of wood and whole sheets of plywood, end tables, tv trays, chairs, cabinet doors, even bricks. Kids love it when he melts them a penny as a momento, but he's also melted a piece of cheese a few times. Cooked hotdog, even.
Before he was an artist, he was fascinated by the power of the sun and started collecting lenses for solar experiments. After a near-death experience in 2010 he felt like he was supposed to use the sun to make art, and he's been practicing that ever since. Recently he has been adding more color to his art using bingo dabbers before clearcoating. He currently has a studio at Mellwood Art Center and a website, solarcombustion.art. There are also many videos of him making art on Tik Tok (the sun man) and instagram @sunmanandwifelady
Billy and his wife Michelle are wonderful people and artists who consistently contribute to the Louisville art landscape, and they're true friends of the block over here on Barrett. We are thrilled to finally get Billy into our gallery, and, weather permitting, we can't wait for you to see Billy create his work in person harnessing light from our star through a massive magnifying lense. About 8 minutes and 20 seconds after a beam of light leaves the sun, it finds its way through Billy's magnifying glass 93 million miles away, and transforms a blank sheet of wood into a spectacular form of art with the guidance of Billy's hands. Its a lot of fun to watch and we hope you'll get to come experience it!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
976 Barret Avenue, Louisville, KY, United States
