Shelley Koss is an award-winning fiber and watercolor artist. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her talented architect husband, Erik Koss of Koss Design +Build. She is a two-time spontaneous coronary artery dissection survivor (SCAD). In the past two years she has won 14 local and regional awards for her artwork and been juried into 19 national and international exhibitions.

Shelley’s fiber art is driven by a modern aesthetic. Bringing a social issue to light by cutting the issue down into its most simplistic image challenges her. Allowing the simplicity to drive the viewer’s thoughts in directions that she did not anticipate pleases her. Creating an open-ended commentary so that art drives discussion signals her success.

Much of her thread and watercolor painting is guided by her perception of nature and a desire to realistically create an image solely with thread. Shelley zeros in on a detail getting to know the subject intimately. The density of the fur, the reflection in the eye, the wetness of a petal guide her curiosity and hands to create one-of-a-kind portraits. Her nature comes out in her abstract watercolor fabric portraits and abstract modernism.

All of Shelley’s fiber art can be traditionally bound or framed. She also paints in watercolor and in thread. Thread painting is a technique of painting on fabric with thread instead of oil or acrylic paints.  The threads are densely free motion stitched to create a work of art.  Frequent thread color changes create objects, shadows, light and intensity.  Reflection and depth are created using different sheen threads with different thread weights and textures. 

Each work of art is one-of-a-kind.  Shelley accepts commission for people, pets and nature and has donated work to local animal 501(c)(3) charities.

Juried Exhibitions

2025 Wham Art Gallery, Interpretations X, Bloom

2025 QuiltCon, What Goes Around Comes Around and Modern Fusion Community Quilt Fractured to Fusion

2024 Portland On The Park Gallery, Cycle 16, Squirrel

2024 FOUND: Gallery, Press Play and Plus Minus

2024 Craft Forms, 29th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft, Intensity

2024 Vision Gallery, Art Quilts: Impact!, What Goes Around Comes Around

2024 The Lincoln Center Gallery - 40th Annual New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts - Bloom - Won Honorable Mention

2024 AQS Grand Rapids - When you hear hoofbeats, sometimes it is a zebra

2024 Wham Art Center Gallery- Dragonfly 1, Dragonfly 2, Butterfly 1, Butterfly 2, A Cactus You Can Touch

2024 International Quilt Show in Houston - modern category Twist - Modern Minimalist Snowflake

2024 AQS Paducah - Modern Minimalist Snowflake and When you hear hoofbeats, sometimes it is a zebra

2024 Ground Floor Artists Gallery, Watercolors, Rainbow Sheltie and Grandma’s Barn

2024 Wham Gallery, Arizona Art Alliance Exhibition, Art Interpretations IX, Watercolor Owl

2024 AQS Branson - Modern Minimalist Snowflake and When you hear hoofbeats, sometimes it is a zebra

2024 AQS Daytona Beach - Modern Minimalist Snowflake and When you hear hoofbeats, sometimes it is a zebra

2024 45th Annual Contemporary Crafts at Mesa Contemporary Art Museum

2023 AQS Grand Rapids - Modern Minimalist Snowflake

2023 AQS Des Moines - Modern Minimalist Snowflake, When you hear hoofbeats, sometimes it is a zebra

2023 Vision Gallery - Press Play, Modern Minimalist Snowflake

                          Awards:

2024 Wayne Art Center Gallery- Honorable Mention

2024 Wham Art Center Gallery- Honorable Mention

2023 Arizona State Fair – Fiber Arts

1st and 2nd Place for Baby Quilts

1st Place Miniature – Bird on a Flower

2nd Place Original Thread Painting – Butterfly

2nd Place for Thread Painting - Red Fox

3rd Place for Collage Thread Painting “Fantasy Bird”

2023 Arizona State Fair – Watercolor

1st Place – Pear

2nd Place – Spaniel

2023 TeraVarna Gallery

Honorable Mention thread painting “A desert flower you can touch”

Honorable Mention watercolor “Spaniel”

2022 Maricopa Country Fair – Fiber Arts

1st Place for Thread Painting “Bloom”

1st Place for Collage Thread Painting “Fantasy Bird”

3rd Place for Thread Painting “Intensity”