It was 2015 and I had 24 hours to draw this True Detective piece. A glow in the dark screen print was due in a week for Bottleneck Gallery's When the Lights Go Out 2 art show and the tv series was nearing it's end. Being a rabid fan of the show, I had to wait until the final ep to draw something. Yes, fandom was already flooded by fan art, but I knew I could do something different -- and something that represented the whole series. And when that final ep ended, I got to work.

Now I may be in the minority when I say that I love the way the show ended. No, I get it. But I loved it. Was moved by it. Rusty and Marty coming to terms with the unfuckable shittness of the world and their cosmic place in it. It confronts death and loss head on while delivering the nearest to Tobe Hooper Chainsaw world we've seen in quite some time. Rusty breaking down in the end affects me deeply, but I love that Marty helped him find hope, cuzz that's what buds are for.

So yeah, cue to me feverishly working out the design through pencils then inks and then Sharpies -- AND THEN I had to prep it for print, including halftones and TWO glow layers (even if one didn't really glow as much as acting like a gloss layer). Needless to say, VGKids were accomplices in all of this, waiting with baited breath at getting the file and kickin' out screens in days time so we could print. Looking back, that's just nuts. It honestly just makes me tired thinking about it.

Fast forward to the art show -- it goes well (despite a selling snafu that said it was immediately sold out). I've sold the remaining prints here and there. Never put up the final pen and ink until now. Some remaining prints are now up in the shop as well. Threw up some other prints in the shop as well, so if there's something OTHER THAN THEY LIVE, ED2, and DJ BRUCE that yer looking for of mine, check out my Etsy page. Alright, onto finishing up two freelance gigs this afternoon. Gonna check out Citadel as well, thx to the high praise from the very great Pure Cinema Podcast, who just ran an EPIC John Carpenter 2-parter well worth checking out.

#truedetective #bottleneckgallery #jeremywheeler #artoftheday #instaart #art #creative #penandink #screenprint #glowinthedark #vgkids #hugepost #fuggit

For over a decade, I used to write movie reviews for The All Movie Guide. I don't anymore and now relish the freedom of not being forced to share my opinions. That said, every now and then I guess it's okay to chime in and share my thoughts on something. This time, it's True Detective. I love the series. It struck a deep chord with me. Not since my Mamet obsession have I been this in love with a writer. Not since my DePalma obsession have I fell so hard for a long shot. And watching these real life acting buddies act their asses off made me shed tears and applaud. I love that it's a buddy story. I love that it comes down to a character arc. I love that it's basically two ex-cops storming the Texas Chainsaw hideout at the end. I love that not every plot point is neatly tied up. I love that the cult aspect turned out to be nonsense. I love that the series ducked when we thought it would jive. I loved going down rabbit holes only to figure out that it was all red herrings and that this was just a pure pulp tale. Moreover, I love Rust and Marty.

When the opportunity to be a part of Bottleneck Gallery's When the Lights Go Out 2, the only way to go was True Detective, but I felt I couldn't do it justice until I saw how it played out. From the airing of the last episode to when I left for SXSW, I had two days to complete the art, one of which I had to work at VGKids, my printer and comrades in arms. Thus my breakneck race to do this thing justice that I loved so much began. When you see the print in person, you'll notice some extra graphics laid into the image in the form of a gloss -- that was us trying to push the printing a bit further and add a different type of glow. Though it didn't work out the way we wanted, it does add a sort of mystery to the print that I think fits the series. At least that's how I look at it. For fans of the show, hope you dig it. This one's really for Rust and Marty though. Love those dudes. Love that they're buddies now. Here's to best buds and the roads they travel to get there.

Prints for sale at Bottleneck start at 12pmEST Friday March 21st here, then in my online store after that.

True Detective OG Art and Prints Up in the Shop

True Detective Print for Bottleneck Gallery