Over the past decade Lee has been developing her own style in an art form that dates as far back as 6,500 B.C. Some anthropologists consider felting to have derived out of some of the world's first urban settlements in what is now present-day Turkey.

"Felting basically is where one takes animal hair, and using friction, heat and lubricant, or all of the above, you get the fibers to lock in place because the fibers have little scales on their side," Lee said.

Using sheep's wool, Lee combines two types of felting techniques to create sculptures, wearable art and furnishings. She uses "wet felting," in which the wool is locked together with hot water and friction for more structurally sound pieces. Lee also combines "dry needle felting" in many of her projects, which allows for more detailed effects, much like painting.

"You can end up with similar results, but structurally they are different," she said of the techniques.

Although Lee does create a variety of felted pieces, such as hats, she said she enjoys using the ancient technique primarily for artistic expression.

"My application of felting is a little different than other people, because I really ... like to do purely sculptural pieces, and I like to do kind of large and complex structural pieces that challenge me," she said.

Lee has created a pair of anatomically correct salmon that she intends to combine into a larger three-dimensional piece to depict them spawning.

Lee said she also enjoys combining her academic background with her artistic aspirations.

"I enjoy doing pieces that combine my scientific background and knowledge, but also they are more impressionistic in an art form," she said. "I like to do a lot of sea life, because my first love was marine biology."

Lee said she doesn't use pre-cut designs to create her artwork, and rather enjoys improvising.

"I like the serendipity of just starting from scratch," she said.

Being a felting artist requires one to be patient and experimental, Lee said. She can sometimes start out with a concept in mind but said the felting technique makes it difficult to recreate the same piece twice, like can be done with clay sculptures or paintings.

"The pro and con of felting ... is you cannot expect it to always turn out the same way. That's what I love about it," Lee said.

Although a relatively unknown art form, felting is becoming more popular, Lee said.

"It has gotten a resurgence," she said. "People have found it and discovered it in a greater extent in Europe, more so than in the United States."

And there are probably only a handful pursuing the technique in Juneau, Lee said.

"My impression is there are not that many, but there are a few of us," she said. "We're around. I think felting is going to grow."

Lee, who moved to Juneau from Anchorage within the last year, said she has not had any gallery shows yet, but intends to begin showing her art locally in the near future.