ABOUT
Trouble is a thick, textured acrylic painting on canvas that I created during one of my first live performances for Art Saint Louis, alongside a classical concert featuring members of the St. Louis Symphony. It reflects the layered emotions I felt that night—the charged energy of the audience and my own quiet storm as I stepped into view.
As the music played, I wrestled with the urge to please, to paint something pretty and easy to love. But my feelings were anything but neat. The bold textures and swirling colors speak to that tension between wanting to impress and needing to be honest.
With my children beside me, I felt both held and exposed. Their presence grounded me, even as the pressure to perform lingered. Trouble didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. It’s less polished, more real—a moment captured in all its chaos and truth, and a reminder that something meaningful can still rise from inner conflict.
artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
created: 2010
series:
subject: abstract
styles: abstract
mediums: acrylic
DETAILS
artwork: acrylic on canvas
original: one-of-a-kind artwork
size: 18w x 18 h x 1.5 d in
frame: optional
ABOUT
Trouble is a thick, textured acrylic painting on canvas that I created during one of my first live performances for Art Saint Louis, alongside a classical concert featuring members of the St. Louis Symphony. It reflects the layered emotions I felt that night—the charged energy of the audience and my own quiet storm as I stepped into view.
As the music played, I wrestled with the urge to please, to paint something pretty and easy to love. But my feelings were anything but neat. The bold textures and swirling colors speak to that tension between wanting to impress and needing to be honest.
With my children beside me, I felt both held and exposed. Their presence grounded me, even as the pressure to perform lingered. Trouble didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. It’s less polished, more real—a moment captured in all its chaos and truth, and a reminder that something meaningful can still rise from inner conflict.
artist: Erin McGrath Rieke
created: 2010
series:
subject: abstract
styles: abstract
mediums: acrylic
DETAILS
artwork: acrylic on canvas
original: one-of-a-kind artwork
size: 18w x 18 h x 1.5 d in
frame: optional
