Meet the Texas Artist Who Is Turning Local Icons Into Unique Lotería Cards

If you’re from El Paso, Texas then you may be familiar with the traditional Mexican board game that most of us played with beans, Lotería!

The game is similar to bingo, and is played on a deck of cards instead of numbered ping pong balls. Every image has a name and an assigned number. Well, one local artist is putting a local spin on his version of Lotería.

Taking That Leap of Faith:

In 2022, Eric, a local artist, found himself in a job that drained his happiness, leading him to make a bold move. He decided to head back to school and chose a field he genuinely enjoyed: information technology. 

During his first semester, a graphic design class sparked a love for Photoshop and digital art that he never saw coming.

He dove headfirst into Adobe programs, and what started as a fun way to poke fun at family members with “joke” Lotería cards quickly became something much more. 

People loved Eric’s playful creations, and he realized he had a knack for it.

This newfound talent led him to draw portraits of his favorite people and artists, adding his own unique twist to each piece.

When A “joke” Turns Into A New Passion:

After a year of perfecting his craft, he decided it was time to share his work with the world. Despite starting with just 30 Instagram followers on his business account, Ware Portraits, Eric's quirky loteria cards started catching eyes. 

He began surprising friends with personalized portraits and, around Halloween, he spiced things up with horror-themed loteria cards for Instagram giveaways. The buzz grew, and so did his following.

The real game-changer came when he attended his first pop-up market. Instead of just selling his art, he ended up meeting a bunch of super cool, like-minded people who encouraged him to take his art seriously.

This led to his latest passion project: The “People of El Paso” loteria series, where he highlights local public figures in his distinctive style.

Eric made an AWESOME photo of Grizz and I for the morning show and he surprised us both with our own versions of Loteria versions of ourselves: La Mija and The Grizz!

Now, Eric’s loteria cards are a hit, celebrating the vibrant and diverse community of El Paso. His journey from a soul-sucking job to a fulfilling artistic career is a testament to following your passions and embracing change. 

So, if you haven’t checked out his work yet, you’re seriously missing out! Click here to see more of his work and hey, why not turn yourself into a Loteria card too!