El Paso Convention Center hosts local tattoo artists, car enthusiasts at ‘Wheels and Ink Expo’

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - The El Paso Convention Center hosted the Wheels and Ink Expo which will last from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday featuring a car show, live music and multiple tattoo stations.

These were split into separate rooms once walking through the ballroom doors, in one room were the designer cars complete with custom paint jobs, hydraulics, and rims as well as some owners opening the hood to show the engine that makes it run.

On the other half of the room is live music instead of a radio as background noise.

In the other room were enough tattoo stations for four rows back-to-back and even an additional row along the wall, several tattoo artists were willing to share what their profession meant to them with ABC-7.

One tattoo artist, Michael Drake Salazar, said it can be a form of self expression.

"It's one way to express, but also like how what I'm doing right now, speaking, it's just one way of expressing," Salazar said. "Also like, some type of clothing, some type of even slang to connect with other people."

Another artist, Alexis Rosales, said it was a way for her to follow a non-traditional path after high school but still pursue her interests.

"I didn't want to go to college after high school. I was never a school school girly," Rosales said. "I was always good at drawing and I always wanted to be tatted up. I absolutely love it."

One resident who attended, Eric Hernandez, said each of his tattoos has a special meaning, whether it's the sleeve with each mascot representing on of his children, a marker the military friends he served with on his other arm or even a representation of his bond with his brothers on his chest.

To learn more about the Wheels and Ink Expo, you can visit the website for El Paso Live here.