About Me
I am Lynn Comley, a textile and wet felt artist living and working on the beautiful North Yorkshire Coast in the UK. I relocated back to North Yorkshire in July 2019 from the Peak District National Park. Now I am continually surrounded by the equally stunning scenery of the North York Moors National Park as well as the beautiful and varied coastline.
Working predominately with felt, using the wet felting technique, I combine other natural materials such as silk and linen, and embellish my work with free motion machine embroidery, hand stitch or both!
Living by the sea and surrounded by the Yorkshire moors, my artistic focus is on the natural minutia of my surroundings. Nature has the ability to create the most delicate patterns, if we just take the time to look at these details we are often rewarded.
My current focus is on moss, lichen and limpets, however I frequently return to my original themes of landscape, seascape and hedgerow flora.
I am the co-founder of Embracing Wool, a collaboration of artisans from Yorkshire and neighbouring counties. Our members primarily work with and promote the use of wool as a medium for their artistic work. We come together to exhibit collectively as group. More information can be found at embracingwool.co.uk.
About My Work
I use the wet felting method for my felt work and I hand paint or dye most of my fabrics for my textile pieces. I then use free motion machine embroidery, or hand stitching to complete my work. Each picture I stitch is totally free form, no mark making or colouring between the lines. I like to consider how the fibres lay after felting before adding stitch. The art of felt making has sometimes unfairly been dismissed as an artform. I hope my work brings a fresh, contemporary approach to this ancient yet versatile medium and in turn helps to make the art of felt making an acceptable medium in today's art world.
Feltmaking is an unpredictable process, the carefully laid fibres move and react differently during the felting process, the whole piece may shrink by approximately 20 - 30%, but often reveals unexpectedly pleasing details. Therefore I adapt my design ideas to each individual piece of felt. Each piece is unique, a one off!
I build up layers of dyed fibres considering the elements of art; form, line, colour, space and texture. Using similar principles a watercolour artist would with their paints. Layers of coloured fibre laid more densely create a deeper shade. I like to add texture to my pieces, little areas of interest. For example, the lichen and mosses on a drystone wall. I them emphasise that detail with stitch, either free motion machine embroidery or hand stitching, preferring to work with natural hand dyed threads.
I try and source many of my wool fibres locally. I think it’s really important to support local businesses and this also has a positive environmental benefit. As my wet felt artwork is based on nature and the surrounding landscapes of the North Yorkshire moors and coast, environmental sustainability plays a significant part in the process of choosing the fibres I use for my pieces.
My work is sold internationally, and new work is added regularly to my website shop. Please click here to browse.
I often revisit work where the subject has inspired me if you see a picture that has already sold it may be worth enquiring. Email me
