Spring Cactus, Chupacabra and Cochineal

Spring Cactus, Chupacabra and Cochineal

Spring Cactus, Chupacabra and Cochineal

The Chupacabra is the Mexican Big Foot. Lately sightings have
increased. Is it a weird bat or a mangy dog-like creature that sucks the
blood of goats? In this painting, bats are busy pollinating the cactus
flowers as they drink. The cactus are hosts to the cochineal insect,
which is a parasite but also the source of the beautiful carmine red
dyes and pigments used in textiles, paints and foods. Bats are symbols
of rebirth and the desert in spring is a resurrection. The chupacabra
represents our fear and guilty knowledge that humans are the most
destructive “vampires” on the planet.