Sleeping Dog, 3 1/2 x 2 1/2, watercolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

Welcome to day eight in the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist  Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.

Both Nikki and I found ourselves reflecting on darker subjects for our eighth painting.  Our project gives us permission to work as small and as fast as the day requires and on any topic that strikes our fancy.

An artist trading card was my painting for the day.  This little painting is a tribute to the little black dog that was my heart for eleven out of her eighteen years.  She reached the end of her life this summer and I miss her terribly. She liked to hang out in my studio while I painted and watched out the window so she could protect our yard from invasions of squirrels and rabbits.   She was a mutt that we called  a ‘Spanaua’ because she was a Chihuahua/ Spaniel cross, and she was smarter than I am.  I wouldn’t change a thing about having her in my life even though it means missing her now.

Day 8 - Rooted, watercolor on paper, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

For her eighth painting Nikki Kinne started with a texture experiment she had created earlier.  As she contemplated the surface she was working on Nikki’s mind wander toward thoughts of sad sodden ground, and darksome night.   This wonderful rooted image with ghostly light emerged.

My daily works for this project available for sale online in my Meylah shop here: http://meylah.com/HelenKle​besadel  I post them each day after they are posted in the blog.

Thank you for joining us on our shared journey of discovery!