Averted – Original Mixed Media Portrait by Erin McGrath Rieke
About this Artwork
Averted, from my Turbulence Behind Tranquility series, is a mixed media painting on archival paper. A solitary figure in profile turns away, withdrawing into a private world.
The figure’s positioning suggests retreat when being seen feels overwhelming. Sparse palette and expressive marks let the image hover between portrait and abstraction.
Averted explores emotional withdrawal as both symptom and self-protection. Turning away may imply isolation, yet the figure remains present simply refusing the viewer’s gaze.
The work invites reflection on the parts of ourselves that become inaccessible in distress—the distance from the world, and the courage required simply to remain.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Averted
Medium: Mixed Media on Archival Paper
Image Size: 8 × 10 in
Style: Contemporary Abstract Expressionism / Expressive Portraiture
Palette: Black and White
Subject: Depression, withdrawal, isolation, identity, psychological abstraction
Series: The Turbulence Behind Tranquility
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: 11×14×2
Additional Information
The series explores mental illness, trauma, recovery, and resilience through abstraction and intuition, creating emotional spaces where difficult feelings can exist without explanation.
The figure’s profile creates quiet tension. The viewer is close but cannot reach the subject, echoing the isolation of depression, when even familiar relationships feel remote.
The series acknowledges mental illness’s complexity without letting suffering define the individual. Averted sees withdrawal not as weakness, but as instinctive survival.
As with much of my work, Averted invites viewers to bring their own experiences of silence, distance, and self-preservation.
Collecting Original Artwork
My paintings explore mental health, identity, trauma, and healing through expressive abstraction and layered texture. Each piece is handmade and unique.
Collectors interested in contemporary abstraction, expressive figurative painting, or art exploring depression and the human condition may connect with other works from The Turbulence Behind Tranquility series.
Averted – Original Mixed Media Portrait by Erin McGrath Rieke
About this Artwork
Averted, from my Turbulence Behind Tranquility series, is a mixed media painting on archival paper. A solitary figure in profile turns away, withdrawing into a private world.
The figure’s positioning suggests retreat when being seen feels overwhelming. Sparse palette and expressive marks let the image hover between portrait and abstraction.
Averted explores emotional withdrawal as both symptom and self-protection. Turning away may imply isolation, yet the figure remains present simply refusing the viewer’s gaze.
The work invites reflection on the parts of ourselves that become inaccessible in distress—the distance from the world, and the courage required simply to remain.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Averted
Medium: Mixed Media on Archival Paper
Image Size: 8 × 10 in
Style: Contemporary Abstract Expressionism / Expressive Portraiture
Palette: Black and White
Subject: Depression, withdrawal, isolation, identity, psychological abstraction
Series: The Turbulence Behind Tranquility
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: 11×14×2
Additional Information
The series explores mental illness, trauma, recovery, and resilience through abstraction and intuition, creating emotional spaces where difficult feelings can exist without explanation.
The figure’s profile creates quiet tension. The viewer is close but cannot reach the subject, echoing the isolation of depression, when even familiar relationships feel remote.
The series acknowledges mental illness’s complexity without letting suffering define the individual. Averted sees withdrawal not as weakness, but as instinctive survival.
As with much of my work, Averted invites viewers to bring their own experiences of silence, distance, and self-preservation.
Collecting Original Artwork
My paintings explore mental health, identity, trauma, and healing through expressive abstraction and layered texture. Each piece is handmade and unique.
Collectors interested in contemporary abstraction, expressive figurative painting, or art exploring depression and the human condition may connect with other works from The Turbulence Behind Tranquility series.
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