Friday Night Art - Artist Jim Rode

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

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  

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 cap...

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

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...

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.

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...