Built From What She Left Behind – Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Erin McGrath Rieke
About This Artwork
I completed Built From What She Left Behind in 2025, nearly five years after I first began working on it. I returned to the canvas at different points in my life, adding paint, covering passages, and allowing earlier decisions to remain partly visible beneath the new ones.
The painting changed as I changed. Some marks held their place; others disappeared under layers I could not have imagined when I began. Over time, the surface became a record of revision, with texture and traces of earlier work carrying as much meaning as the final gestures.
The title came from thinking about what remains after loss. I did not want to paint grief as a single event or give it a tidy resolution. Built From What She Left Behind makes room for memory, for what has been altered, and for the life that continues to take shape around it.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Built From What She Left Behind
Year Completed: 2025
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Artwork Size: 16 W × 20 H × 1 D in
Style: Contemporary Abstract
Subject: Memory, grief, change, and resilience
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: Not included; framing may be arranged separately
Original Collector Artwork
This is a singular, one-of-a-kind painting created by Erin McGrath Rieke. Its accumulated layers, texture, and physical marks exist only on the original canvas. Any future prints will be clearly identified as reproductions.
A signed certificate of authenticity documenting the title, medium, dimensions, completion year, and original status of the work is included with the purchase.
Additional Information
I worked on this painting over nearly five years, sometimes setting it aside before returning with a different understanding of what it needed. That time is present in the surface. Covered passages remain part of the work, even where only a trace can be seen.
The painting invites a close look at those changes. It also leaves space for viewers to bring their own memories to it, without asking them to find the same story I found.
Collector Price
$1,400 with shipping included
The price includes the original unframed artwork, signed certificate of authenticity, protective packaging, handling, insurance, and standard ground delivery within the contiguous United States.
Shipping and Local Pickup
The listed price includes standard insured delivery from St. Louis to one address within the contiguous United States. Framing, expedited transportation, or unusual delivery requirements may require an additional charge arranged with the collector before shipment.
Complimentary local pickup is available in the St. Louis area by prior arrangement. Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and international destinations must be arranged and quoted separately.
Fine-Art Prints
Open-edition archival prints of Built From What She Left Behind may be offered separately. Prints are reproductions and do not include the original canvas or its certificate of authenticity.
Built From What She Left Behind – Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Erin McGrath Rieke
About This Artwork
I completed Built From What She Left Behind in 2025, nearly five years after I first began working on it. I returned to the canvas at different points in my life, adding paint, covering passages, and allowing earlier decisions to remain partly visible beneath the new ones.
The painting changed as I changed. Some marks held their place; others disappeared under layers I could not have imagined when I began. Over time, the surface became a record of revision, with texture and traces of earlier work carrying as much meaning as the final gestures.
The title came from thinking about what remains after loss. I did not want to paint grief as a single event or give it a tidy resolution. Built From What She Left Behind makes room for memory, for what has been altered, and for the life that continues to take shape around it.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Built From What She Left Behind
Year Completed: 2025
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Artwork Size: 16 W × 20 H × 1 D in
Style: Contemporary Abstract
Subject: Memory, grief, change, and resilience
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: Not included; framing may be arranged separately
Original Collector Artwork
This is a singular, one-of-a-kind painting created by Erin McGrath Rieke. Its accumulated layers, texture, and physical marks exist only on the original canvas. Any future prints will be clearly identified as reproductions.
A signed certificate of authenticity documenting the title, medium, dimensions, completion year, and original status of the work is included with the purchase.
Additional Information
I worked on this painting over nearly five years, sometimes setting it aside before returning with a different understanding of what it needed. That time is present in the surface. Covered passages remain part of the work, even where only a trace can be seen.
The painting invites a close look at those changes. It also leaves space for viewers to bring their own memories to it, without asking them to find the same story I found.
Collector Price
$1,400 with shipping included
The price includes the original unframed artwork, signed certificate of authenticity, protective packaging, handling, insurance, and standard ground delivery within the contiguous United States.
Shipping and Local Pickup
The listed price includes standard insured delivery from St. Louis to one address within the contiguous United States. Framing, expedited transportation, or unusual delivery requirements may require an additional charge arranged with the collector before shipment.
Complimentary local pickup is available in the St. Louis area by prior arrangement. Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and international destinations must be arranged and quoted separately.
Fine-Art Prints
Open-edition archival prints of Built From What She Left Behind may be offered separately. Prints are reproductions and do not include the original canvas or its certificate of authenticity.
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