Well-known Westport Island artist Diane Langley has explored various mediums, but it is creating art in fabric form, specifically hooked rugs, quilts and a Japanese style stitching called Boro, that she finds compelling these days.

See Langley’s upcoming show in the Highlands Community Room at the Topsham Public Library March 1-27 where designs will run the gamut from traditional Maine images to the abstract, and the colors she uses are varied as well, from bold reds and blues to subtle pastels. Her painterly style from many years of working mostly in oils, is well-represented in her hooked rugs.

Langley grew up surrounded by the hooked rug art work of her mother and grandmother, and began learning it when she moved to Westport Island 34 years ago. She taught the craft at Adult Education classes and also at an Edgecomb fabric store. As a painter she is represented by Yvette Torres Fine Art in Rockland.

One hooked rug in the show is inspired by an art retreat she spent on Spruce Head Island and is adorned along the edges with a poem she wrote while there. Another is inspired by a design of hollyhocks created by her grandfather. The quilt motifs are mostly free-form with one log-cabin style, and are made of both had-dyed and commercial fabrics. The Boro technique is characterized by a long mending stitch and comes from an earlier time in northern Japan when there wasn’t much cotton available and hemp was used. These cloths now are much sought after and shown in museums.

The Library is located at 25 Foreside Rd., Library hours are Tuesday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call the library at 207-725-1727.