Shelley OConnor is a fiber artist who creates felted works. Her introduction to felting was a class taught by Janet Griffin, at Arts on Main, Gloucester, VA. This was followed by a week long Fiber and Paper workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast she draws inspiration from the natural world around her. Her works have been exhibited at Art in the Garden, Hahn Garden at Virginia Tech, Arts on Main juried fall show 2019, Gallery 527, Scottsville, VA, and Oasis Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA. She recently returned to the United States after having lived in Spain, and now calls Hanover County home. About  her work she says,

"I create art that expresses the organic world around me. Through the manipulation of wool felt is made. Natural fibers such as silk and cotton are incorporated to create texture and movement. Inspiration for my work comes to me while star gazing, wandering through a forest or walking on a beach. These places are also the sources of the colors used. There is an energy flows between my hands and the wool while I am making felt. During the process I am transported to a place where the wool and I communicate, and I feel when the process is completed. The thickness of the felt depends on the whether it needs to be as light as an autumn leaf or deep as an ocean."