Stripes & Graphics: Alex Olivera

Like more than one high-school student, Alex Olivera was drawn to pinstriping as a result of his interest in both cars and art. It was the 1950s, and pinstriping was an essential part of hot rod culture. Before long, he was striping cars and putting the names of girlfriends on the fenders of the cars of his friends.

“I was raised in Minneapolis. After spending several years in Chicago, I headed back to California—I knew I needed to be out there. My timing was good, because I got to meet a lot of the top people, including Ed Roth, who invited me to his Rat Fink reunions.

I also met Von Dutch, who usually came along with Ed. I think that I may be one of the last of the original Rat Finks, which was a group of stripers who got together once a year back then to stripe and talk shop.”