Tracy Silva Barbosa works both in glass sculpture and mixed-media painting, the latter which she discovered after using acrylic in formal studies for her sculptures, developing a lasting interest in the medium. Barbosa found paint to be freeing; she studied sculpture and glass in college along with many other mediums, all of which translate through her paintings. Born in Massachusetts to Portuguese parents, Barbosa incorporates cultural contrasts into the layers of her subjects. She juxtaposes the traditional landscape with modern environments, often with composites of her own photography, and illustrates the passage of time in asymmetrical narratives inspired by Asian scroll paintings. Also influenced by the Baroque, Byzantine, and Rococco periods, Barbosa combines these classical methods with diverse mixed-media to ultimately explore issues of transcendence, emotion, and personal symbolism.