Visible Only in My Vanishing

Visible Only in My Vanishing – Original Abstract Acrylic Painting by Erin McGrath Rieke

About this Artwork

Visible Only in My Vanishing, from my Turbulence Behind Tranquility series, uses thick black acrylic on archival paper to explore the uneasy sense of being most visible as the self dissolves.

The irregular layers of black acrylic, create an image both physical and elusive. Some viewers see an obscure face, features flickering before fading into darkness.

This uncertainty is central: the figure is never fully revealed. The face may be a shadow, a memory, or someone vanishing beneath the weight of their psychological terrain.

Visible Only in My Vanishing reflects the contradiction of wanting to be seen while needing to retreat. It considers how mental illness, trauma, and exhaustion distort identity, leaving us suspended between presence and absence.

Artwork Details

Artist: Erin McGrath Rieke

Title:Visible Only in My Vanishing

Medium: Acrylic on Archival Paper

Image Size: Approximately 7 × 9 in

Presentation: Mounted on matboard

Style: Contemporary Abstract Expressionism

Subject: Identity, disappearance, depression, psychological abstraction, emotional isolation

Series:The Turbulence Behind Tranquility

Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind

Frame: 11×14×2

Additional Information

Visible Only in My Vanishing, part of Turbulence Behind Tranquility, explores mental illness, trauma, recovery, and resilience through abstraction and texture. Instead of literal depiction, the series creates psychological landscapes where difficult emotions exist without explanation.

The thick black acrylic creates a tactile, relief-like surface. Light catches the ridges, making shapes emerge and disappear as you move. Within these forms, some see a face receding into darkness.

The image remains deliberately unresolved, asking viewers what they recognize in the shadows—and whether disappearance can become its own visibility.

Like much of my work, Visible Only in My Vanishing invites viewers to bring their own memories, fears, and associations.

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, textured painting, or art exploring identity and the human condition may connect with other works from The Turbulence Behind Tranquility series.