Artist Gives Voice to Residents' Pets

Looking for a way to start her own business and still be able to work from home and care for her daughter, Andrea Kahn decided to utilize her artistic skills and combine it with her love of words and animals. She recently launched PetSPEAK Art and is currently displaying some of her work at the .

"I finally decided to go out a limb," Kahn said. "I'm now devoting my energy completely to developing this pet portrait business called PetSPEAK Art."

Use a large tablet, Kahn utilizes a digital photo as a base and then draws freehand into the computer to bring the portrait to life. Each PetSPEAK Art commissioned portrait print is a one-of-a-kind image.

"I like being able to give people something that makes them happy," she said. "When I did graphic design, no one was happy getting another brochure. I'm proud to say I've not had an unhappy client yet."

Kahn's passion for animals began as a child - unable to have a pet of her own, she instead made friends with her neighbor's dogs or the local mutt that was neglected by it owners.

As an adult, Kahn began a career as an illustrrator and graphic designer while writing short stories in her freetime. It was only recently she decided to combine both aspects into one business.

In the future Kahn hopes to host art parties to increase interest in her artwork and create an original series to encourage others to stand up for injustice.

PetSPEAK Art is also located on Facebook and Twitter.