We all have a gift, and this is mine. Thank you for helping me share it. A love of painting, drawing, and storytelling began at a very young age for me and has not abated. I never questioned that I would pursue a creative life (financial security be damned!). These miniature paintings began as gifts for friends: portraits of lost pets, living pets, sadly departed pets, friends' pets, endangered and vulnerable species, favorite animals, portraits of people, mementos of special occasions...

Most of my artwork centers on personalized pet portraits, because this is what people usually ask of me, as a fellow animal lover. I feel honored every time I am asked to commemorate a human/critter bond. I feel honored when people ask for my work, period.

I work from home in an 1888 mid-renovation Victorian in Bangor, Maine where I live with my family: one man, two dogs, one cat. I am also a published writer.

The handmade logo on my shop banner is your guarantee everything here is handmade by me, in keeping with Etsy's original ethos. For more information, see www.etsy.com/teams/19087/all-handmade-by-me

♥♥GIVING BACK: I donate artwork, designs and a percentage of profits to aid animal rescue organizations' fundraising efforts. I am an artist member of HeARTs Speak. See http://www.heartsspeak.org for more information on this professional network of artists helping animals.

See my Facebook page for more paintings: https://www.facebook.com/kirsten.reed.artist/