Cruz del Saguaro (Saguaro Cross). Gouache on paper. 200mm h x 100mm w

The giant Saguaro cacti are icons of the Sonoran desert regions, their tall trunks with outstretched ‘arms’ dotted across the landscape, silhouetted against innumerable sunsets and featured throughout spaghetti westerns. Just as ubiquitous in this area are the crosses; alongside roads, in isolated valleys, on top of mountains and churches, and in family shrines. And hearts. Bleeding hearts. Like the Saguaro, the cross and bleeding or flaming heart symbols seem to be everywhere. I decided to merge them together.