Billy KheelAge: 43Hometown: Los Angeles, California

A Massachusetts native, Kheel attended boarding school and then moved on to Wesleyan University, where he played sports and pursued his love of art. Kheel spent time in New York before moving to Los Angeles, where he met his wife. Now a full-time artist and visiting art teacher at schools across the city, his focus on applique and felt is unique from other mediums in the competition and sets his work apart.