Lynn Fletcher, an artist who creates in a number of media, is currently painting with fiber using the felting method, which is interlocking the fibers to create a matted fabric.

Felting, the most ancient form of textile art, predates weaving and spinning.

"Instead of a paintbrush, I use a needle; instead of a tube of paint, I use colored fiber, such as wool or alpaca; in the end it looks like a painting. I call it painting with fiber. Art is what you make with what you have," Fletcher said. "I am detailed oriented, so I need structure and a detailed picture to work from."

The needles she uses are not sewing needles; they are used to bond the fiber to the matted fabric.

Fletcher also uses the industrial felting machine, a piece of equipment used to fuse fibers from one fabric into a base cloth. The many needles it uses speed up the extremely time-consuming process of felting by hand.

Fletcher's 9 x 14 inch felted picture of the covered bridge at McConnells Mill is featured on the front of the Visit Lawrence County brochure, put out by the Lawrence County Tourist bureau, and it is displayed at the Visit Lawrence County office on Jefferson Street in New Castle.

Currently, she is working on a 12 x 12-inch hummingbird and flower design piece that she plans to give away.

"With all different colors of fibers to add to the project, there is no limit to the pictures and images you can make. It is really interesting," Fletcher said. 

In 2018, Fletcher won best of show at the Ellwood City Art Show for her oil painting of hands named "Hand Picked." She has done many paintings for friends and family and has also sold her art.

After creating with felting, Fletcher said she likes felting best and, of course, there is no cleanup.

Fletcher works two days a week at the Stramba Farm and Fiber Mill Store on Main Street in Wampum, where she creates her pictures using the felting machine when she isn't busy.

About a year and a half ago, Fletcher went to Fiber Mill for a meeting of the Wampum Area Business Association (WABA) and met owner Terri Stramba.

"When I walked in I knew I wanted to work there. It was all the colors, the fibers, the space, huge tables, the lights, the atmosphere. I told Terri I want to work here." Fletcher said. "I grew up on a farm so I like working with fiber, getting back to the earth."

It was an opportune time as Stramba's daughter-in-law, who worked in the mill, was moving to Montana with her husband and family, and Stramba would need to replace her.

Fletcher got the job and started out washing the fiber by hand and learning the basics.

"Terri is just wonderful. The Mill is a very busy place and I love working here," Fletcher said. "I've learned how to eco paint, which is using natural materials like leaves and flowers and imprinting them on fabric through a process. At the Mill, we make scarves and wraps and a huge amount of insoles."

When Stramba started make-and-take events, where groups could come and make a project and take it with them, Fletcher got more involved in the felting. When teaching a felting class at the Mill, Fletcher experiences the best of both worlds, her love of art and working with people.

Fletcher also works at the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources (ANR) in Butler helping a client experience a full life of activity. 

In 1991, she graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in visual communications.

Formerly from Harmony, Fletcher lives in Franklin Township with her husband, Dean, and sons Sam and Tommy.