49 Flowers
Since WPR launched on Substack back in the fall of 2022, I have been posting photos of flower drawings now and then. They are what I call abstract flowers in which I take the traditional shape and form of a flower and remix it in my own way.
Generally, I do not finish an entire flower in one sitting. It usually takes three or more days to finish one. I go about each bloom slowly and thoughtfully at roughly 20 or 30 minutes each day (sometimes more). This affords me a chance to slow down and be contemplative in my approach.
I love the idea of slow creativity. There are no deadlines. My mind and hands are simply at play in the most relaxed and leisurely way possible. My only rule is that each flower must be different from all the others that came before it.
My medium of choice is pencil on paper. This forces me to focus on the object’s texture, shape, and design and how it interacts with light. I want to immerse myself in the pallet that exists when color is subtracted—to explore the luminescence in its shadows and its galaxies upon universes of gray.
As of this past week, I have achieved a new milestone with these drawings. I have reached the end of the little notebook that I draw them in. There are now 49 flower drawings in this first volume of them. I made a little video to showcase them all for you, my dear WPR readers.
Here is a video bouquet from me to you:
I will continue drawing more of these as a creative practice as I start to fill up a new sketchbook. These drawings are a way for me to workshop ideas for pieces in my Hidden Garden project. Those drawings will be much larger and more detailed.
I will be posting more videos here on WPR from now on. My break from filmmaking is officially done. The little video bouquet posted above is a momentary dip of my toe into that ocean. I will share short experimental pieces that will be fun to make. WPR readers will get to see these films first before I share them elsewhere.
Incidentally, I have a script for a narrative film that I have been slowly working on. It is an ambitious full-length feature that may never see the light of day, but every short film I make counts as practice and a step in that direction.
Doesn’t every garden start with a small group of blooms?
As always, thank you for reading and watching. I hope the seeds you are planting take root and find the nutrients, water, and light they need to grow.
PS: Thank you all for watching my new music video for Vampire.
Between the song and the video itself, I have put an enormous amount of energy into this project. It would mean the world to me if you can share it with friends and on social media. Here are links you can copy and paste:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/dagETLM1b78
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/music-video/vampire/1724655636
Tidal Video: https://tidal.com/browse/video/338777907
You can hear my new song Vampire on every major streaming platform including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal.
Give it a listen, share it, and add it to a playlist if you want. Search for Roqué Marcelo or visit any of the following links:
Spotify
Apple Music
Tidal
Amazon Music
Deezer
Other music sites where you can hear it include Anghami, MediaNet, Boomplay, Instagram/Facebook, Adaptr, Flo, iHeartRadio, Claro Música, iTunes, Joox, KKBox, Kuack Media, NetEase, Qobuz, Pandora, Saavn, Tencent, TikTok/TikTok Music/Resso/Luna, Yandex Music (beta).
The extreme winter weather and a COVID outbreak in my neighborhood have kept me from doing anything noteworthy outside of my home over the last week. So again, I have no artist date to report.
Our changing climate will allow for unseasonably warm weather in the next week. I will be venturing out again soon.
To listen to my music, watch my films, or see my visual art, please visit:
WPR is my weekly labor of love. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to receive a thoughtful, ad-free, and algorithm-free issue every Friday. Every cent supports all my creative work. Thank you for reading.