In this piece, RYVERSTYX 18, I wanted to explore the emotional crossing between what we leave behind and where we hope to go. Inspired by the myth of the River Styx and the ancient belief that a soul must pay Charon to cross into the afterlife, this work meditates on transition—on readiness, on memory, and on the price we place on moving forward.
 
A fiery palette of crimson, ochre, and gold sets the stage, with pigments applied using only knives—each stroke a deliberate act of tension and release. The surface becomes a terrain of ridges and valleys, as if scraped into being by time itself. Subtle grids emerge beneath the color, calling to mind gates, tollways, or ledgers—structures of passage and cost. Veins of green pulse through the warmth like breath held in the chest, reminders of life still tethered. The texture's physicality invites pause, as if the canvas itself is asking: Are you ready to cross. This is a painting about thresholds, about paying the fare, and about the strange beauty found in choosing to go on.
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Cait.Jewell