Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations – Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Erin McGrath Rieke
About This Artwork
I created Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations in 2018 as part of my Still I Rise series, which explores resilience, healing, and personal transformation.
From a distance, the painting’s swirling movement can seem almost simple. Up close, cracks break through the surface. They interrupt the flow and reveal a tension held beneath its color and motion. I wanted both things to remain visible: the pull toward beauty and the conflict that persists within it.
The cracks are not separate from the painting’s movement. They run through it, complicating what first appears fluid and harmonious. For me, this reflects how growth rarely follows a straight line. Beauty may emerge, but it does not erase what it took to reach it.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations
Year Created: 2018
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Artwork Size: 24 W × 24 H × 1.5 D in
Style: Contemporary Abstract
Subject: Resilience, personal growth, and emotional conflict
Series: Still I Rise
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: Optional; not included in the collector price
Original Collector Artwork
This is a singular, one-of-a-kind painting created by Erin McGrath Rieke. Its swirling movement, cracked surface, layered paint, and original marks exist only on the canvas. Any future prints will be clearly identified as reproductions.
A signed certificate of authenticity documenting the title, medium, dimensions, series, and original status of the work is included with the purchase.
Additional Information
My abstract paintings explore identity, resilience, and human experience through color, texture, and intuitive mark-making. In Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations, the cracks complicate the painting’s flow, bringing tension into a composition that may appear calm or effortless from a distance.
The surface invites a slower look. As viewers move closer, they can follow the breaks and irregularities alongside the broader swirl, finding their own meaning in the relationship between damage, movement, and beauty.
Collector Price
$2,700 with shipping included
The price includes the original unframed artwork, signed certificate of authenticity, protective packaging, handling, insurance, and standard delivery to one address within the contiguous United States. A $300 allowance is included for shipping and handling.
Shipping and Local Pickup
Standard insured delivery from St. Louis to one address within the contiguous United States is included in the collector price. 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 quoted separately.
Fine-Art Prints
Open-edition archival prints of Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations may be offered separately. Prints are reproductions and do not include the original canvas or its certificate of authenticity.
Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations – Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Erin McGrath Rieke
About This Artwork
I created Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations in 2018 as part of my Still I Rise series, which explores resilience, healing, and personal transformation.
From a distance, the painting’s swirling movement can seem almost simple. Up close, cracks break through the surface. They interrupt the flow and reveal a tension held beneath its color and motion. I wanted both things to remain visible: the pull toward beauty and the conflict that persists within it.
The cracks are not separate from the painting’s movement. They run through it, complicating what first appears fluid and harmonious. For me, this reflects how growth rarely follows a straight line. Beauty may emerge, but it does not erase what it took to reach it.
Artwork Details
Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
Title: Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations
Year Created: 2018
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Artwork Size: 24 W × 24 H × 1.5 D in
Style: Contemporary Abstract
Subject: Resilience, personal growth, and emotional conflict
Series: Still I Rise
Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind
Frame: Optional; not included in the collector price
Original Collector Artwork
This is a singular, one-of-a-kind painting created by Erin McGrath Rieke. Its swirling movement, cracked surface, layered paint, and original marks exist only on the canvas. Any future prints will be clearly identified as reproductions.
A signed certificate of authenticity documenting the title, medium, dimensions, series, and original status of the work is included with the purchase.
Additional Information
My abstract paintings explore identity, resilience, and human experience through color, texture, and intuitive mark-making. In Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations, the cracks complicate the painting’s flow, bringing tension into a composition that may appear calm or effortless from a distance.
The surface invites a slower look. As viewers move closer, they can follow the breaks and irregularities alongside the broader swirl, finding their own meaning in the relationship between damage, movement, and beauty.
Collector Price
$2,700 with shipping included
The price includes the original unframed artwork, signed certificate of authenticity, protective packaging, handling, insurance, and standard delivery to one address within the contiguous United States. A $300 allowance is included for shipping and handling.
Shipping and Local Pickup
Standard insured delivery from St. Louis to one address within the contiguous United States is included in the collector price. 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 quoted separately.
Fine-Art Prints
Open-edition archival prints of Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations may be offered separately. Prints are reproductions and do not include the original canvas or its certificate of authenticity.
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