Friday Night Art - Artist Jim Rode

I was just blown away by the fantastic Augustus Saint-Gauden's memorial to Robert Gould Shaw at the National Memorial of art! Robert Gould Shaw Memorial

This image was originally an iPhone shot. I was out for an evening stroll in the Gas Light Quarter of San Diego. From the building came the sounds of a party. I stopped briefly, mesmerized by the sounds in the night air. I could see no party, but was so intimidated to be watching that I took a shot of the building and walked on.  Later, I committed the scene to art. I tried to capture all the different worlds set in each apartment floor by floor. It is ink on paper 8x12. I'm working a version on canvas as a 16x20 at $599. Contact me at Friday Night Art for info. October Night, San Diego

On the Port Isabel side of the causeway from South Padre Island, stands an inlet where shrimp boats can dock. Fish and shrimp can be unloaded and the fishermen can take a break from being out at sea. This image is called repairing the nets. I use inks as watercolors, this one on canvas. I also applied this to a sheet of aluminum and it looks fantastic. I buff the aluminum, and apply a wall hanger back so the art can be hung on the wall in your office. I paint it with a white base coat to make the art pop. Then I apply inks that can soak to the metal and bake at about 400º. The result is a permanent adhesion to the metal. See more at  Friday Night Arts . #fridaynightart #portIsabel  Shrimp Boats Port Isabel

Twilight in Washington, DC found me near an office building. As the sun goes down, the reflections from the glass dwindle and the people on the street can now see into the office. It has become a fishbowl of people caught between the last meeting and going home for all to see from the street. I found the colors stunning. I've created a 20x24 Ink on metal. It comes ready to hang at $799 plus shipping. Contact Friday Night Art at Jim@JimRode.com #fridaynightart #WashingtonDC  Office Fishbowl - DC

The Red Robin Flour Mill in Ponca City No matter how urban and modern our cities become, the original titans remain. The mill in Ponca City is a good example. It's concrete structure, perhaps six stories high, is a constant reminder of when our farmland was king. The grains that built America have come and gone from these storage giants for decades. Trains stop and fill their grain cars. The diesels then lug their load to the cities where bakeries wait for the grain. This image began with an iPhone photograph. This gives me a memory of how the original scene looked. It is a part of my method in making the art. From there, the media became my expressionism and printed in ink on canvas. I use heirloom canvas and archival inks mixing 8 colors. My work is for sale and a great investment that you would enjoy seeing in your office daily. Find more at  FridayNightArt.com . #PoncaCity #fridaynightart  

Yukon's Best is a flour mill in Yukon Oklahoma. It dominates the street near the main drag in old downtown. Grain mills like this once anchored small towns in farming communities. Grains could be brought to the mills and stored before rail road transit to the big cities. Their existence allowed community growth. 20x30 ink on metal. $799 plus shipping. Contact Jim@JimRode.com in Oklahoma City. Friday Night Art by artist Jim Rode #fridaynightart Yukon's Best Flour Oklahoma Mill

Oklahoma City From the Bridge was from an early discovery ride with Sylvia after we moved to town. The city skyline came into view and within a few hundred feet I had the car stopped to take it in. I loved how the color of the Classen Building (Devon Energy Center) mimicked the colors of the sky, and the foreground was the earth (or at least it's color). I use the iPhone image of the OKC skyline as a study before making the art. I moved the media to ink applied to canvas. I think it would be strong in a aluminum sheet (haven't done that one yet.). This is a 20x30 ink on canvas at $1299. Good look for your wall behind your desk! I had a very boring wall in my new place. This really changed everything! The minute I walk into the room a smile hits me! Contact me at  Jim@JimRode .com for inquiry. See more at  FridayNightArt.com . #OKCity #fridaynightart Oklahoma City From the Bridge This ink on metal of the Oklahoma City skyline was inspired by my iPhone capt

This image is called the Maestro's House. It is a unknown homeless man camped out at the civic center in Oklahoma City. I intend to only print an 8x12 ink on watercolor paper of this one. It seems too powerful for a larger piece. Signed watercolor on acid free paper: contact Jim at jim@jimrode.com See more at FridayNightArt.com  #fridaynightart The Maestro's House

In this image (ink on water color paper), called Hanging On, St. Josephs the Old Cathedral. I've captured a wheelchair set near the person in the pew. They attend church and converse with God. 11x14 on watercolor paper, signed $199, $225 if framed and ready to hang. Hanging On, St. Josephs the Old Cathedral

Just below the flight path in San Diego is the El Cortez. It is an historic hotel and a San Diego landmark at the top of the Gaslight District. It was built around 1926. It inspired me to capture it's glory. I use ink baked to a sheet of aluminum. I attach a hanging box so it can be put on the wall in your office or home. $1299 plus $80 for safe shipping. Contact me at Jim@JimRode.com to arrange the purchase. El Cortez San Diego

While staying at the Marriott in Irving (a fine hotel!) I marveled at the view of Lake Carolyn and the Towers at William Square. This is where the "mustang sculpture" is. Thats a great sculpture to see by the way. I took a photograph to capture what I saw and later moved my interpretation into media creating an expressionism image. This image really pops after it is baked into metal. With a buffed sheet of aluminum (20x30), a white base is applied to the metal. After it dries, the image is applied to the base coat in inks which can be baked into the aluminum at about 400º for a permanent piece of art. This shot is available at $1299 (Approximately 20x30 inches) on a sheet of aluminum. It has a wall mount so it can be hung in your office with little effort.  Contact me at  jim@jimrode .com for inquiry. #fridaynightart #LasColinas  See more at  FridayNightArt.com . The Towers at Williams Square

I made an iPhone shot of Meeting the Fans at St. Joseph the Old Cathedral, after a church service. Later, I recreated it in a media printed on paper. The priest is talking with the church faithful. This is the church where the rectory was damaged and the church windows were blown in by a terrorist attack on the Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City (the Oklahoma City Memorial). The restoration is inspiring as you sit quietly during services. Your eye roams everywhere. Where the rectory stood, the Diocese paid for and installed a statue of Jesus. "And Jesus Wept" A daycare with children was located in the building. The blast killed 168 people including 19 children in the daycare. To read more about the statue, Click http://blog.jimrode.com/blog-homepage-for-artist-jim-rode-friday-night-art/and-jesus-wept  Meeting the Fans: Father talks with parishioners after mass.

Here you will see a series of art pieces created by converting iPhone images to ink on canvas, and some ink on aluminum. The art media is created to last a lifetime and beyond. The ink is baked into the metal at 400º. I created a series of windmill pieces from my trip down historic Route 66. Most are intended for canvas, but really, they work well on aluminum too. There is a pastel that is gorgeous on metal. It has a hanger built on so it is ready to hang. Sylvia and I traveled to central Oklahoma and found it a beautiful land. We took off for the rural roads to find the windmills at sunset and I found inspiration for these fabulous art pieces. I've been looking to create more art pieces for Friday Night Art. I think these are fabulous art pieces for home or office. Contact me to acquire art for your home or office.  Jim@JImRode.com . See more at FridayNightArt.com . Jim Rode #fridaynightart #Route66 # Windmill at Sunset This image is at sunset in Oklahoma. 8x1

This image, OG&E Building Rainy Morning, is a favorite of mine. I created this in the first week of living in OKC. It was so exciting. It was one of those sleepless mornings. I got up early on a Sunday when no one was around. The city was sleeping it off from Saturday night. The sightseeing was inspiring. This is a approximately a 20x30 ink on linen on a wood frame. It is already set to hang. If you want it, you can hang it immediately. I'm selling it at $1299. and would be cool art for the office. Heck, if you work at OG&E, it would be tax deductible! As an update, I've transferred the image to a sheet of buffed aluminum and added a hanging mechanism so it can hang on the office wall. It looks great! contact me at Jim@JimRode.com #fridaynightart  See more at Friday Night Art . OG&E Building Rainy Morning

I call this State Capitol 5 a.m. I shot it from my car using my iPhone. Once I captured the scene, I converted it to inks, based upon the pixels of the what the phone captured. The fragile nature of the image (with the phone pushed to the limit in the darkness) meant that I had a fabulous sky. It reminds me of Starry Night by Van Gough. I have used inks on canvas to create this piece 24x30 on archival linen and ready to hang. It is $999 and available through me at Jim@JimRode.com #fridaynightart  A new version has been created using inks baked into a sheet of aluminum. $1299 Oklahoma Capitol 5 a.m.

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. If you would like to acquire this piece, contact me at the email below. 20x24 on canvas $899. Jim Rode #fridaynightart #tradingpost #Route66 FridayNightArt.com   Contact me at Jim@JimRode.com for options on acquiring this art piece. Stuck in the Fifties...the old Indian Trading Post billboard on Route 66

A passion in the South (and across the nation) is High School football. Often referred to as "Friday Night Lights", from the book by H. G. Bissinger, the night is set for football. In agreement with college and pro sports, Friday is traditionally reserved for high school sports. The crowds come out to watch two schools battle. School prestige is on the line. The pageantry of cheer, drill and band add to the spectacle. This is a $979, 20x20 piece of ink on canvas depicting football players from Euless Trinity Texas. Also available at $1099 ink on buffed aluminum ready to hang. #fridaynightart #eulesstrinitytrojans  Artist: Jim Rode of Friday Night Art Dirt, Chalk, Sweat and Tears: Ink on Aluminum by Jim Rode

I call this "Night Ghosts - Nashville". I know this city has its Ghosts, I may have captured one streaking through. While visiting Nashville, I used my iPhone to get a shot of this Catholic Church at dusk. Artifacts of light were picked up in the shot on the right side of the image. It seemed spooky...like a ghost passing by in the night.  I worked the shot to bring out the tangles of wires across the dying sky. I left the artifacts alone. I brought the church out of the darkness and colored the streets. This image is available printed on watercolor paper, signed $125, framed $299. Prices subject to change. See more art at FridayNightArt.com . #fridaynightart #Nashville  Night Ghosts Nashville

In Port Isabel, shrimp boats dock for the boaters to break from their days at sea fishing. After sleep and grub, they repair tears in the net before their next fishing departure. This shoreline is less then a mile from the Port Isabel Lighthouse. There is a shoreline drive that meanders bayside. #fridaynightart Ink on Canvas by Jim Rode of Friday Night Art . $899, on metal - $1299 Repairing the Nets - Shrimp Boats in Port Isabel Texas