Jakes’s O Mine
oil on canvas
8×10
It has been a while since I have had time to post. Recently, while talking to Dusty, the bartender at Lucky Strikes, I realized that I have been amiss at not posting my first Arizona bar series painting.
Lucky’s is where the infamous Jake’s O Mine was located. Jake’s was distinguished by its peculiarly low bar, surrounded by kitchen chairs rather than bar stools.
Jake’s had a tattoo artist on premises. Whereas almost every bar has a sign requesting that no bike club colors be displayed, Jake’s had no such policy. Some nights half the clientele were sporting red and white.
Jake’s O Mine, now Lucky Strikes, is a block from my house. For some reason Liz and I hang at Captains. I will hit Lucky’s on the way home from work, and on those nights when I am bach’ing it and want to be within crawling distance of my front door.
The owner of Lucky Strikes recently purchased Superstition Skies, another Apache Junction landmark. Skies was the destination of many of the movie stars that filmed at Apacheland Movie Ranch.
Elvis Presley had a table in the corner when he was filing Charro!, the only film he made where he did not sing. I understand John Wayne was a patron.
If you see any old westerns with saguaro in the scenery, chances are it was filmed in Apache Junction.
None of these paintings sold during my recent show back east. I am not complaining, because they belong in Apache Junction!
The exhibition was a success, in that I sold more than a third of my art on opening night. The show broke even, as far as expenses. That means I was able to fly to NJ and visit with old friends for free. And I get a pretty nifty tax write-off this year, to boot!