Amaryllis in Bloom

Watching the amaryllis is fascinating. One morning I came into the living room and the buds had started to open. I figured I needed to sketch it before I went out for the day since it was changing so fast. This was my view at about 10 in the morning.

 

By the time I returned home in the afternoon two of the flowers were wide open. That called for another sketch in the evening.

Here is the page with the two sketches side by side.

Amaryllis In Bloom

On Tuesday morning my Apple Blossom Amaryllis started to open. In the morning it looked like this, so I decided I'd better sketch it before I went out for the day because I knew it would change.

By the time I came home in the afternoon there were two flowers open and a third that looked almost ready. I lot happened in just a few hours.

This is how the full page spread looks.

 

Amaryllis Progress

The amaryllis I started growing has a stem that is now about 16 inches high. There are two stems and the other is a bit shorter. I sketched the amaryllis on Sunday when it was only 9 inches high. Right now it has grown about 2 inches yesterday and another 2 inches today. I

Here is the completed page in my sketchbook. I am going to have to figure out a way to make the paper taller if I want to show the actual full height of it from now on.

It is fun to watch the progress from day to day.

 

In the Pot

 I pretty much planted the amaryllis as soon as the sketch of the kit was done. The green pieces sticking out of the top started out at about 2 1/2 inches long. Right now, 6 days later, they are about 3 inches tall. It is growing slowly but I know soon it will be growing very fast and very tall. I have it sitting by my living room window, surrounded by some Christmas statues.

Here is a photo of it taken today. The small piece on the bottom in the front has about doubled in size.

Amaryllis Bulb Kit

After Christmas ordered an amaryllis bulb kit for myself from Holland Bulbs. I grew one once before and it was a lot of fun to see it grow and then blossom. It is an Apple Blossom Amaryllis which should have white petals brushed with pink and then a lime green throat. I'm looking forward to seeing what develops! 

Mickey's Amaryllis

When my sister, Mickey and I came back from sketching the tower and walking in the park I decided I had to sketch one of her amaryllis plants that were on the kitchen table. Two of them were in bloom and were such pretty colors. I have never been able to get mine to grow so I was glad I was there to sketch this one.

Clown Amaryllis

Today after the funeral and luncheon with the family I drove my sister back to New Jersey. I had a few hours to relax there while the rush hour traffic lessened and I would be able to drive home. My sister had two amaryllis plants that she had planted and was watching and waiting as they grew. One is a clown amaryllis which is white with red sort of stripes. I'm not sure what the other amaryllis will be. Since I didn't have the opportunity to do any other sketching today the amaryllis seemed like a good subject for today.

Bay View and Amaryllis Update

I love being surrounded by water here on Long Island. Both the views of the bays and the views of the ocean bring a smile to my face. This was painted in Hampton Bays.

Here is an update on my amaryllis. I wonder how long it will be before I ever see a flower...

Trees & Amaryllis Bulb Update

Before all our snow melted I did get out to sketch the trees again. It didn't look as pretty as when the snow was on all the branches but I enjoy seeing the patters of the white snow and the grass emerging in the melting areas.

I had pretty much given up on my amaryllis ever blooming. My last post was on Jan. 19, but low and behold when I checked the plant yesterday there were two green leaves emerging from the top of the bulb. They aren't big, but thy are there. Yay!!!!

"30 Paintings in 30 Days" - Day 24 - Calla Lily

Today starts the last week of the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge. For day 24 I have painted a calla lily from one of my own reference photos. I think they are so dramatic looking.

#30paintingsin30days

Here is my second journal page about my amaryllis.

Yesterday NYC had a blizzard. Here we had at least 18-20 inches...or that is what seems to be piled on my patio railing. I haven't been out to measure it. Here is what it looked like here in the middle of the day. It stopped snowing about 1 am this morning. I'm hoping to put on my boots later and take a walk around the area. Hope you are warm and snuggly wherever you are.

"30 Paintings in 30 Days" - Day 23 - Pink Poppy

Poppies are such pretty flowers but they are here and gone so quickly it seems. For day 23 of Leslie Saeta's "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge I used one of my reference photos to do a pink poppy.

#30paintingsin30days

In addition to painting flowers, I'm trying to grow one. I bought an amaryllis bulb before Christmas. Every year I think about growing one, but my apartment doesn't get much direct sunlight, especially in the winter. By the time any sunshine comes through my windows it is very week at the end of the day. I decided to give it a try this year and see what happens. I started journaling about it on Jan. 12 when I took it out of the box. Needless to say I haven't had much to write since then. They do take a long time to get started and this one isn't getting the most ideal conditions. lol