People in East London and Essex are being encouraged to express their creative side, as Loughton Central Library, in Traps Hill, is exhibiting work curated in the local community.

Filmmaker Joanne Woolgar is currently displaying her felt fabric artwork on the library’s exhibition wall.

She began making felt pictures in January 2016 after getting stuck on the editing of a documentary she was in the middle of making.

After taking a break from her work, she discovered she had a drawer full of felt and decided to start being creative in a different way.

The 49-year-old, who was born in Scotland and grew up in Bournemouth but has lived in Loughton for the last 15 years, is also running classes in the library for people who are keen to learn a new skill and add to the wall of felt.

The classes will take place on the first Thursday of each month from 10am to 12pm, Joanne admits that people are welcome to drop in any time and get creative, as she is around most days.

Felt and glue will be supplied.

Joanne explains why Loughton Central Library is keen to support local artists and why a teapot is her favourite felt design…

Can you tell me more about your felt art designs?

I make them by gluing felt fabric shapes on canvas. I love the soft tactile quality of felt and I like mixing that soft quality with bold colours and shapes, so the designs can be vibrant and playful and fun, as well as having a gentleness and softness as well. I love the combination of vitality and gentleness. I make pictures of the things I see around me in my home or in nature, although I just made a picture of an idea.

Do you or have you ever created art in any other way or just focused on felt?

I’ve played a lot of classical piano and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and did an MA in music composition at Kingston University. In recent years I’ve become interested in improvisation and meditation music and started making a documentary about two friends who play gong and didgeridoo.

The great thing about the film-making is that I intentionally chose to just buy a camera and do it and learn as I go, which means creatively responding to everything that happens as it happens. I’ve discovered that I like this way of learning.

Why did you want to get involved with the library?

The great thing about Loughton Central Library is its keenness to support local artists and community art. They have a large exhibition space and he walls are covered with lining paper, which means that people can write things or stick things on the wall between the exhibited pictures.

This is an exhibition where people can put up their own pictures in-between the exhibited pictures. And their pictures become part of the exhibition.

The wall is like a reef, my pictures form the initial structure and new creative life is appearing around it.

I believe that creativeness is not just something we have ‘on the side’ stored up, but is actually fundamental to our nature and that, every day, we are making creative choices and creating something.

What is your favourite design that you have made out quilt?

A teapot.

Is it quite difficult to make at first or can people pick it up easily?

This media is quite simple to work with.

Where did you interest in art begin?

Creativity is happening everywhere all the time. Can you be a creation without being creative?

To find out more about the exhibition, visit: libraries.essex.gov.uk