Beckner Pinstriping

I grew up in the land of "Built, Not Bought", a high mountain valley in Colorado filled with some of the most creative people in the world. Here, if you want anything cool, you have to craft it yourself. The San Luis Valley is home to my sign and graphics shop, Ion Graphics Inc, located in the town of Alamosa. I had always been attracted to lowbrow, kustom kulture, and car art from flipping through the pages of my CarToons magazines and through attending our local car show, The Early Iron Festival. Years later, I was fortunate enough to become a member of the Early Iron Car Club, the ones who have been responsible for putting on this now 600+ car show since 1980. While attending the car club meetings the need for a local pinstriper became evident. I had always been fascinated by pinstriping and wanted to learn. The closest pinstripers were hundreds of miles away. A void needed filled, and I wanted to fill it!

In 2010, my wife Brandi picked up my first set of brushes and a couple cans of 1 shot paint for my birthday to give this "Pinstriping" thing a try. This is where YEARS of hard work came into play. It took 5 years before I had something worth showing people. Most of my previous striped items where wiped off or pitched in the trash. I would get frustrated by my lack of a quality design and my wife would get frustrated by the waste that was incurring. I have never been content with mediocrity and have only strived to do the absolute best I can. Am I there yet? I'm not sure I'll ever answer "yes" to that question. All I can say is that practice never stops, learning never ends, and designs always change.

I am now located on Main Street in Alamosa, Colorado in a 6,500 sq. ft. shop. A place I have worked over 15 years to get. A truly "dream come true"!

The best thing that ever happened to my craft was meeting my mentors/legends Jack Giachino, Rody Kuschnereit, and Todd Hanson. Not only have they guided my direction in design execution and color selection, but they have become a part of our family. I met Jack, Rody And Todd through a panel jam my wife and I put on for the Early Iron Festival. They took me aside and critiqued what I was doing. They taught me that lines can go anywhere, it takes the skilled hands of a pinstriper to put them in the right place. Colors can go anywhere, it is the craft of a pinstriper to place the right colors in the right order. I am eternally grateful for their teaching and friendship.

I will probably never be where I want to be with my art, but I think that is what makes a person continue to improve and evolve. I do know that I have been gifted with this art form and all I ever want to do is please the one who gave it to me.