Mesa West of the Washita River - ink fusion wall art by artist JimRode

Where

FridayNightArt in Southern Oklahoma

The Art

Just north of Ardmore, on a mesa west of the Washita River, you can see a line of wind turbines standing like animated statuettes, working the wind. The turbines stand atop of the ancient Arbuckle Mountains that were formed over a billion years ago. It is Chickasaw territory and the river that runs through it is the Washita River. 

The river once carried the blood of Cheyanne Indians when Custer attacked Black Kettle's encampment on the Washita further upstream in Cheyanne Oklahoma. It is said that many woman and children were cut and slain as the calvary cut through the encampment. "Total warfare", it's what mankind does...too often.

Today, the only battles seen are trucks battling for lead position on I-35. Above in the distance, rage the battle of wind atop the Arbuckle Mountains. The fiberglass bladed turbines fighting nature's power as they spin and generate electricity. Occasionally the wind is too strong and the turbines shut down so the wind won't rip off the blades.

Nature and man can both be wicked.

Art Details

Mesa West of the Washita is an ink fusion on aluminum, 20x30 inches in size. I've used six colors here and they are archival inks that are fused to metal via a mylar print. This plastic-like image is then burnt into the aluminum at approximately 400º so that the inks become infused to the metal. After creating this piece, a box hanger is attached to the rear with an epoxy so that it arrives to your collection ready for wall display. 

Who

Jim Rode’s FridayNightArt is a listed member of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC)

To see artist Jim Rode’s Artist Statement and Bio at OVAC, go to https://www.ovac-ok.org/art/Jim-Rode