Friday Night Art - Artist Jim Rode

As paddle boarders go out, the tide comes in at Laguna Beach. This image is a mid-day photograph from the bluff above Laguna Beach. It is available as a 20x24 on metal at $899. Laguna Beach is an artist colony with both poor artist and rich retirees. Image by Jim Rode  Friday Night Art . #lagunabeach #fridaynightart Paddle Boarders near Laguna Beach

There is urban America and Rural America. I think there should be a roadside America. This Route 66 sign on a pole near Weatherford Oklahoma is one of my favorite art pieces. I wanted bold colors because so much of history is seen simply in black and white. #fridaynightart #Route66  I made this a 20x30 inks on metal at $1499. Works well on canvas too for hanging the art in your den or "man cave". For fun, I created an 8x12 ink on watercolor paper at $225 signed.  That was awesome! I'm thrilled to see it on the wall! Signed of course. Jim Rode See more Friday Night Art work on the  blog ... Route 66 Sign on Watercolor Paper by Jim Rode

Oil Refinery in Ponca City Although this inked image is cool on watercolor paper, I also worked this onto a sheet of aluminum. It is spooky cool that way with cotton candy clouds. In Ponca City, oil is king. The bold colors make this exciting piece for the office or den at home. There is ghosting of the color around the refinery stacks that make them stand out as portrait subjects. I really like that. This art consist of inks baked into a buffed sheet of aluminum, prepared with a coat of white emulsion which makes the colors pop. All the works are UV coated to last 100 years if not in direct sunlight. #PoncaCity #OilRefinery #fridaynightart For more, Check out Friday Night Art . Artist Jim Rode's work is for sale.

After the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City, an assessment had to be made on repairing the damage to St. Joseph the Old Cathedral. It was the first brick and mortar church built after the land rush and just prior to Oklahoma statehood. Stained glass windows in the church were blown inward over the pews and carpet. The rectory was heavily damaged. The blast killed 168 people including 19 children in the buildings day care.  The Catholic Diocese dedicated a shrine behind the church of Jesus with His back turned away from the disaster weeping. These photos of the sculpture reveal the statue and its proximity to the church and the blast site. The immediate wall around the statue includes 168 holes depicting those no longer with us. #fridaynightart Photos on watercolor paper at $225, signed; or 20x24 on aluminum at $899 And Jesus Wept St. Joseph the Old Cathedral 

In blogging at Friday Night Art, I felt it might be fun to post a 3 minute video of some of my work. Mixed together are both inks on canvas and ink-baked metals. Enjoy! #fridaynightart Jim Rode PS See more at  FridayNightArt.com .

Sylvia and I enjoyed a great meal at Mickey Mantle's in Oklahoma City. The restaurant, located in the trendy Bricktown in OKC, was a great setting for dining.  Valet parking, not expensive, but necessary due to the limited parking available in Bricktown. Mickey Mantle's is handicap accessible using an elevator located steps from the front door. The first thing that strikes you is the memorabilia in the foyer. Not a great collection, but enough to justify the restaurants title. The dining was expensive and the service was fabulous. 20% here is going to cost you...but you are here because you have money anyway right? My ribeye was $85 (an upcharge for choosing a specialty aged cut). This price keeps the usual common people like me out so the upper crust can always find a table. Scalloped potatoes will make you roll your eyes! The salad, by the way, was pedestrian and needed something, perhaps some aged cheese. The carrot cake was like most good cakes you find at a go

If you want a quick two minute look at Jim Rode's portfolio of his Friday Night Art, this is a good one to check out. #fridaynightart To see more, go to   FridayNightArt.com . To contact Jim for commission work or to purchase art, contact him at Jim@JimRode.com

"The Valley" is laid back and resembles the 50's. It is filled with a fabulous mix of people from Native Texas, Snowbirds to Mexican Americans who have lived the land since the Conquistadors. Family and conversation are the elements of daily life. The land is rich and the Valley provides its fruit and vegetables to America. From wildlife refuge to ocean sands, there is a lot to see. Years of travel to the Valley was once a place to unwind for me. It was a place to slow down and drink the coffee. Eventually, I couldn't help but get to work to capture scenes for Valley life and put them on canvas. This short video showcases the Valley in art on canvas. Contact Jim Rode to inquire about any piece. FridayNightArt.com In recent years, Jim Rode traveled to the Rio Grande Valley and has begun to create Canvas and Metal art of places and people he has seen and photographed. See more at Friday Night Art.

On historic Route 66, "the Motherhood" across America, stands Lucille's Station. It is in Hydro about 7 miles east of Weatherford, Oklahoma. It opened in 1941 and the family lived upstairs. Late night travelers could honk the horn and someone would come down to fill the tank. (Remember when the attendant did all the work?) Early highway travel on the first highways was a tremendous upgrade from the dirt, gravel and wagon-rut byways of early America. Route 66 helped build the travel industry as gas stations grew along the way to feed and fuel the traveler. Motor hotels (motels) were created by enterprising people to give the weary a place to rest.  In parts of Oklahoma, some of the original road and bridges still exists and are passable alongside of the major Interstate Highway. Discover more at Friday Night Art . The Ethyl pump at Lucile's Station. Lucile's Station at sunset Ink on aluminum. Buy at FridayNightArt Lucile's Station

Indian Trading Post billboard on Route 66 near El Reno, Oklahoma. As if stuck in the 1950's, this "Indian" Trading Post sign announces the Native American souvenirs, trinkets and indeed art and artifacts on Route 66 (I-40) near El Reno, Oklahoma. The original image is a photograph before I took the media into an expressionism ink process. I intended it to be an ink on watercolor paper but instead chose to put the art on canvas. It came out cool and hangs in the Man Cave. Jim Rode FridayNightArt.com   Contact me at Jim@JimRode.com for options on acquiring this art piece.

This video represents the exhibition of 9 works of art are on display at the Lift Art Gallery in under 2 minutes.  These are great examples of Jim Rode, of Friday Night Art. He creates art using ink media on canvas and metal. Learn more at  Friday Night Art .  Contact Jim at  Contact Page . Be sure to click on the slide video below for a 2 minute portfolio show of Jim's work.

The Lift Art Gallery in Oklahoma City announces an exhibition of art from Jim Rode of Friday Night Art. This is a street level gallery at 10th and Shartel at the LiftOKC. The nine canvas prints represent the art of Jim Rode and his photo expressionism.  This video represents the exhibition of 9 works of art are on display at the Lift Art Gallery in under 2 minutes. These are great examples of  Jim Rode, of Friday Night Art, creates art using ink media on canvas and metal. Learn more at  Friday Night Art .  Contact Jim at  Contact Page . Be sure to click on the slide video below for a 2 minute portfolio show of Jim's work.

We call strip shopping center restaurants "hole in the wall" places...kind of a tribute to cowboy bandits who'd have off the beaten path (hole in the canyon wall) hideouts. They are a little hard to find, but because a restaurant leases in a strip center they can offer an affordable meal because they aren't paying a fortune in overhead. I assume that Venezia Italian Ristorante falls perfectly in that category. We've been looking for such a place for several months. We love comfort food at a decent price. Who wants to pay $50 for lunch anyway? $10-15 per person is much more reasonable, especially if the place is good. We liked Venezia.  Try it out. Just north of I-40 on Sooner Road in Del City. To see Jim Rode's art or more food reviews, go to FridayNightArt.com