Let me tell you how this one came to life.
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| Island Love Story, 40” x 30” acrylic on canvas by Maggie Ruley |
One of the activities that night was a “word of the year” exercise. I handed out worksheets, we took it seriously for about five minutes, and then everyone chose a word that felt right for them. Hope. Freedom. Health. Courage. Joy. Whatever felt right.
Then I asked everyone to write their word directly onto a canvas.
All of them.
Layered together.
Thoughtful. Overlapping. Honest.
I told them I would turn that canvas into a finished painting. And I meant it.
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| Friends writing their word of the year on the canvas. |
For a year+ that word-covered canvas sat in my studio. It had energy. It had intention.
But underneath it was something real.
Connection. Community. New beginnings.
I had a small 6” x 9” sketch on paper that I had been itching to turn into something larger. I wanted to use that idea to transform all those layered words into something cohesive without losing the spirit of them. ⤵️ That little sketch became my roadmap.
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| Small abstract palm tree sketch. |
Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, 2026
I spent a lovely Saturday in the studio working on what became Island Love Story.
Thirty by forty inches. Big enough to hold all those intentions.
As I painted, the original words started to dissolve into color and movement. Some are still visible if you look closely. (Especially from the back of the canvas) Some are buried under layers. Kind of like life.
It felt right that it came together on Valentine’s Day. Not in a romantic way. In a bigger way.
Love of community.
Love of fresh starts.
Love of being rooted here in Key West.
There’s something powerful about taking a shared moment and transforming it into a lasting piece of art.
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| Island Love Story on the easel. |
This painting isn’t just about what it looks like.
It’s about what it holds.
A room full of people at the start of a new year.
A simple exercise that turned meaningful.
A promise made casually that turned into something substantial.
That’s the part I love most. The evolution. The way a 6 x 9 inch sketch and a messy word-covered canvas became a 30” x 40” finished piece with presence.
That’s the real island love story.
If you added your “word of the year” to my canvas at that New Year’s gathering, you’ll find your word hidden somewhere inside.
And I kind of love that.
❌⭕️🩷 Maggie
