When Sharron Parker first saw 2,500-year-old felts from Siberian tombs, she was drawn to the technique of felting. The simplicity of working combed wool in hot water until the fibers lock allows her to work spontaneously, and often experimentally.As she creates a piece of felt, Parker might have an image in mind: a rock, a fossil, or a moth wing. Or she might just want to play with color or capture the effect of light on an iridescent shard of pottery. But then, as she joins felts together, cuts into the surface, and stitches with more yarns, the piece evolves into something all of its own and never before seen. Sharron Parker received an undergraduate degree from Duke University and a masters degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studying education, art, and interior design. She continued her studies in textiles at Penland School of Arts and Crafts and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. In 1980 she began working in handmade felt, after seeing 2,500-year-old felts from an archaeological dig in Siberia. The simplicity of the process – working combed wool in hot water until the fibers lock – provided the chance to work spontaneously and experiment with a technique few contemporary artists were using. Over the last 42 years, Sharron has developed her own approach to the medium, creating wall pieces with an emphasis on color and surface texture. She has exhibited throughout the United States, and internationally in Armenia and Turkmenistan, (arranged by the Art in Embassies Program of the State Department) and recently in France.