El Paso artist Christin Apodaca is acclaimed for her murals across the Borderland that celebrate the region’s natural beauty and culture.
And while art lovers can see many of her massive works in public spaces in El Paso, she also captures the desert landscape through Kissing Cactuses, an enterprise she launched that unites her love for plants with her joy of creating small, artistic, colorful pots.
Apodaca will be among the artists featured in the “Boundless: 23 Women in Art” exhibition Saturday, Oct. 25, at Mystic Desert Studio in the Lincoln Park area.
Borderland artist Christin Apodaca has hundreds of cactuses at her El Paso home. Apodaca, one of the city’s premier muralists, also creates small pots that she unites with cactuses from her collection. She created the pot with the smiley face that is shown.
Apodaca took the time to answer some questions from the El Paso Times about what motivates her diverse creative efforts.
El Paso TImes: What kind of a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment do you get from your murals, compared with Kissing Cactuses?
Apodaca: The fulfillment I get from Kissing Cactuses compared to creating murals is all based on spontaneity. When working on murals, I definitely tend to try to plan out every part of the process from beginning to end. But when it comes to ceramics, I make it a point to make everything as impromptu as possible. I don’t weigh out my clay before getting on the wheel, I don’t come in with sketches and I let the glazing process happen in the same manner. It’s a nice feeling to go into the ceramic studio and just let whatever win or failure just happen.
Q: What is your largest mural to date?
Apodaca: My largest mural to date might just be my longest mural, which is inside La Nube Children’s Museum, “In Our Desert There Is Magic.” That piece measures at about 72 feet long and 16 feet high. Another one that comes to mind is my piece, “The Woman with the Sunset Colored Hair” that can be seen off I-10 by Topgolf. She is about 25 feet high by 50 feet wide.
Q: Which is your most recent?
Apodaca: My most recent work I completed is a mural on the backside of the El Paso Museum of Art, facing the entrance of La Nube.
Q: Do you have the locations and names of five of your favorite murals you created in El Paso that you think people should see?
Apodaca: A few of my favorites include:
• “Juntos” on the outside of Cafe Piro in Socorro. Make sure to order the old fashioned iced coffee.
• “Contigo/With You” on the corner of Father Rahm Avenue and El Paso Street. Definitely park on El Paso Street and walk all the local shops before or after checking out this piece and many others in Segundo Barrio.
• My most recent work at the El Paso Museum of Art is a fun piece to discover.
• “The Desert Gives What It Can” located inside the main library Downtown. After you check this one out, you can update your library card.
• “Neon Rose” located in the patio of Cafe con Leche/Poco Wine Bar/La Planta on the corner of Magnolia Street and Wyoming Avenue. Make sure to stay for the coffee, natural wine and a bit of plant shopping.
Q: How did you get interested in painting murals?
Apodaca: I got interested in painting murals because I liked the challenge of painting large. I had the opportunity to paint a gallery space and I found it very difficult at first but enjoyed the process of having to problem solve. Every mural is always different. From the wall proportion, the texture, to the accessibility. I enjoy the process of it all.
Borderland artist Christin Apodaca has hundreds of cactuses at her El Paso home. Apodaca, one of the city’s premier muralists, also works on a small scale, creating miniature pots that she unites with cactuses from her collection.
Q: Which is the one farthest from El Paso?
Apodaca: The farthest piece from El Paso is a barn I painted earlier this year for Bonnaroo (Music & Arts Festival) in Manchester, Tennessee.
Q: How did you get interested in tiny cactuses?
Apodaca: I’ve always been a plant lover and started my own collection with about 80-plus plants. Then after meeting my partner, the collection grew to about 300 plants. I love including plant life into my work; I feel like there are so many similarities to humans within the plant world that I like talking about within my work.
Q: Do you grow them yourself or source them from someplace?
Apodaca: My plants are from a handful of different places. I love frequenting local nurseries, sharing cuttings from friends, my grandparents give me plants all the time and whenever I’m out of town and have the time, I’ll check out their local nurseries as well. I have a few favorite online growers as well. I’ve been doing a lot of seed saving to grow a lot of different things from seed.
Q: Do you create the tiny, artistic pots they come in, or do you collaborate with a ceramicist on them?
Apodaca: I create the pots for a good majority of my plants.
Borderland artist Christin Apodaca has hundreds of cactuses at her El Paso home. Apodaca, one of the city’s premier muralists, also works on a small scale, creating miniature pots that she unites with cactuses from her collection.
Q: What are your simplest tips for helping people keep small cactuses alive?
Apodaca: Some simple tips I try to share about cactuses are: Don’t water them often; when they’re thirsty, they’ll tell you! Most of them wrinkle a bit when they need water and give them a good soak. Also, even though they’re considered “full sun” that doesn’t necessarily mean our sun. It gets hot here and direct sunlight can burn their skin. Shade cloth works wonders! On the other hand, they do need bright light. Finding that balance is key.
Q: Do the cactuses you sell grow bigger and eventually need to be transplanted? If so, what kind of care should people use when doing so?
Apodaca: Like most plants, these cactuses will get bigger and need bigger homes. But unlike other house plants, most grow relatively slowly, so you won’t need to repot certain plants for years. Whenever someone buys one of my cactuses I offer repotting services when/if needed.
Q: What is the price range for the cactuses?
Apodaca: My plants range from $40 to $200, depending on the size of the plant/pot and the rareness of the cactus.
Q: Is there anywhere in the Borderland that people can buy your cactuses, or do you sell them mainly at pop-ups?
Apodaca: During growing season I usually have more plants/cactuses, and pop-ups are the only place to buy them. I will occasionally throw them up onto an Instagram story for impromptu sales.
Q: Will you have cactuses for sale at “Boundless: 23 Women in Art” at Mystic Desert Studio on Saturday?
Apodaca: Unfortunately, I won’t have (plants) for sale at this weekend’s “Boundless” art show.
Borderland artist Christin Apodaca has hundreds of cactuses at her El Paso home. Apodaca, one of the city’s premier muralists, also works on a small scale, creating miniature pots that she unites with cactuses from her collection.
Boundless: 23 Women in Art
What: All-women group art exhibition. The event also will feature a live DJ set, local vendors, food trucks, and coffee.Where: Mystic Desert Studio, 3900 Rosa Ave., Suite B, in South-Central El Paso, across from Lincoln ParkWhen: 7-11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, which is National Fine Art Appreciation DayWho: Female artists whose works include painting, sculpture, design, jewelry, and mixed media.
They are:• Amy Lee • Ashton Kaleigh • Camille Lavezo• Carolina “KAKO” Villarreal• Cassandra Adame• Christin Apodaca • Francella Baca • Gitzel Moncivais • Kate Bujanda • Kelsey Rose Kilcrease • Laura Turón • Lea Magruder • Lezlee Meza • Lillian Sandoval • Marina Monsisvais • Melanie Montes • Serena Lizette Ornelas • Susan Wester Perez • Suzi Davidoff • Valeria Tejada • Vanessa Clark • Voodoo • Zoe Spiliotis
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Kissing Cactuses unites love for plants with joy of creating colorful pots