Linda Mae Tratechaud

Observing society from the point of view of a woman, mother, and humanitarian I create. I examine the paths people navigate looking for common life experiences. I’m fascinated by the ethereal essence that is left behind in inanimate objects. I strive to create art that addresses the everyday interactions of the female experience. I am especially interested in how Women intersect with the world around them and negotiate their personal power. I weave metaphor into tangible objects by addressing social constructs, human emotion, and precarious relationships. The work is cast in bronze, aluminum, and glass, and other materials weaving Milagros, found, recycled, and discarded objects into the narratives. The juxtaposition of metal and glass adds to the deeper meaning behind the pieces. Strength, opacity, and the formality of cast metal create tension with the transparency and vulnerability of glass — shattering old narratives and recasting them into new structures. I admire the detailed artisan craftsmanship of the Renaissance that is still common in indigenous art around the world. By incorporating and fabricating such intricate details into my work I pay homage to their dedicated detailed work. This process is meditative and allows me time to know my sculpture well.

BIO Linda Mae Tratechaud is an Albuquerque native and has lived in Albuquerque, Denver, Amsterdam, Placitas, and now outside of Santa Fe in the Galisteo basin. She loves to travel and observe other people and how they live always returning “home” to New Mexico. Tratechaud is a skilled artist having worked in the arts her entire career for over 40 years beginning as a Graphic Artist. She is well versed in expressing her ideas through many mediums, including but not limited to painting on glass in the Tiffany Stained-Glass Method. She began her fine arts career in printmaking because of her love of illustration. While constructing her house, grinding concrete and casting bronze hooks she shifted into sculpture. A large body of her work has been casting in bronze, aluminum, glass, resin, wool or paper, weaving in metaphor through found, recycled, and discarded objects. The juxtaposition of metal and glass adds to the deeper meaning behind the pieces. Strength, opacity, and the formality of cast metal create tension juxtaposed with the transparency and vulnerability of glass — shattering old narratives and recasting them into new structures. She began painting on glass seven years ago to incorporate drawing back into her studio practice. These Tiffany-style glass paintings compliment her sculptural body of work and have led to their own expression. Trained as a graphic designer and illustrator, she used her artistic skills to represent the voices of others for over 20 years be

3-D, Glass, Installation, Multi-Media, Sculpture