Angel artwork by Ilie Ruby that can be found at Captiva Civic Association’s latest exhibit. -COURTESY PHOTO
The Captiva Civic Association (CCA) will host its first art show of the 2026 new year, “Language of Angels: Daughters of the Sea and Sky,” featuring local artist Ilie Ruby. CCA invites the community to the opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, from 5-7 p.m. at the Captiva Civic Center, 11550 Chapin Lane. The event will include light fare and refreshments and is free to attend. CCA’s 2025-2026 season is sponsored by Karen Bell and the Bell Team, Michael Saunders and Company and the art series is sponsored by Bank of the Islands.
The exhibition will run from Jan. 8 through Jan. 30, and the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Language of Angels. -COURTESY PHOTO
“To walk through this exhibition is to step into a blessing. One offered to this island, to its waters and skies, and to all who understand that love,” said Lauren McCraney, director of Captiva Civic Association and curator of the gallery. “To walk through this exhibition is to step into a blessing. One offered to this island, to its waters and skies, and to all who understand that love.”
“In the Language of Angels: Daughters of Sea and Sky, Ilie Ruby gives form to their presence. Ilie’s angels and mermaids transform and rise onto canvas from both her inner knowing and from the faces of those who came before. They belong to the island’s long watch guardians. Formed by storm and return, erosion and renewal. Standing within its rhythms, they bear witness to what endures,” McCraney continued. “They illuminate abundance with sunrise and moonrise, and settle the calm of knowing with the sunsets and constellations. Sea life sings their praise.”
To RSVP to the opening reception, use this link: secure.qgiv.com/for/languageofangelsdaughtersofthesea/event/rsvp/
More on the artist:
Ilie Ruby is a Captiva artist, teacher, and novelist whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, and other national publications. In the wake of three hurricanes that reshaped her beloved islands, she returned to a daily oil-painting practice, creating a luminous body of work celebrating ethereal figures of transformation, healing and rebirth.
Her style is contemporary figurative realism infused with painterly sensitivity, effusive light, and an unmistakable sense of feminine strength. Deeply engaged with island history and currently at work on a historical novel set in Captiva, Ruby also creates mixed-media pieces featuring metal leaf and historical island imagery that bridge past and present in a uniquely modern way.
Ruby is the owner of Odessa Art Gallery on Sanibel Island, where she shows her paintings alongside handmade sterling silver jewelry. She is happiest on the beach or in her studio, painting with Ty, her beach dog, by her side.
Hear from the artist: vimeo.com/1150650189?fl=pl&fe=sh
Language of Angels. -COURTESY PHOTO