Happy Valentines Day Red Amaryllis

I was eagerly waiting to draw this Red Lion Amaryllis flower and finally it was in full bloom on Valentines Day - how sweet!!  The red of an Amaryllis is close to my favorite shade of red.  It's not a real dark red, kind of a medium red with orange undertones, and very dramatic sitting above its long towering stems.  As I sat it on the table and looked up at it, it looked tall and stately - and I loved how the sun created a see-through effect with the flower petals. I hope I captured that feeling is this drawing.

Interestingly enough, I have never grown an indoor flower before, and when a friend gave me this Amaryllis bulb kit as a gift I was wondering if I would help it grow or ruin it.  Guess I was kind to it :)  It was fun to watch its growth stages, as it would literally grow about an inch a day at times.  It was just a few green tiny stems at first, then suddenly 6 inches of stem, then one day the flowers began to poke out, and within a day or two, the flowers were in full bloom.  What a great addition to our house during the winter months I must say!!

And speaking of growth stages, I have a preteen daughter who is continually complaining about growing pains in her arms and legs.  I remember all the different growing stages she went through. The first year was like watching the beginning of the Amaryllis bulb come out of the dirt - exciting and impatient with a lot of anticipation of what is to come.  Then the toddler years were like the stems in the middle stages (fun to watch, but my energy and patience was often tested as I waited for the next stage to come). The preteen years we're in now are like watching the bulb beginning to open, anticipating a beautiful young lady that will start to bloom before I know it.  I guess I'll have to wait for the teen years and beyond to see her in full bloom.  I can only imagine the best is yet to come - a flower in full bloom!  I enjoy all these stages, and hope others with children (or nieces/nephews/grandkids) will pay attention and love the stages in life. Looking back, these stages are short moments I surely don't want to forget.  As we all know, it's a short time before we're adults and on to our own lives...

Have a wonderful week ahead and I hope you look around at your world this week - there are beautiful images and moments around us we often just pass by in our busy lives.