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  

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.

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

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

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

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