Presented by Captiva Civic Association Inc

Language of Angels: Daughters of the Sea and Sky

Registration ends Thursday, 01/08/2026 10:45pm EST

About This Event

Join us for the opening reception of Ilie Ruby's Language of Angels: Daughters of the Sea and Sky. 

CCA invites the community to the opening reception on Thursday, January 8th, from 5:00-7:00 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 January 8th through January 30th, and the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

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. They illuminate abundance with sunrise and moonrise, and settle the calm of knowing with the sunsets and constellations. Sea life sings their praise.  

More on Ilie Ruby: 

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.

About This Event

Join us for the opening reception of Ilie Ruby's Language of Angels: Daughters of the Sea and Sky. 

CCA invites the community to the opening reception on Thursday, January 8th, from 5:00-7:00 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 January 8th through January 30th, and the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

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. They illuminate abundance with sunrise and moonrise, and settle the calm of knowing with the sunsets and constellations. Sea life sings their praise.  

More on Ilie Ruby: 

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.

Getting There

Captiva Civic Center
11550 Chapin Lane
Captiva, 33924
United States