A 31-year-old artist from Elsa spent months painting an entire animal shelter for free and is now taking her work across Texas.

Karina Gonzalez painted the inside and outside of the Weslaco Animal Care Services building. She won a city art competition last April, which gave her the opportunity to take on the project.

Gonzalez said her children and her love for pets drove her to do it.

"I just really care about it, and I know that here it was something that they needed help with to basically shine light on this area," Gonzalez said.

She said the finished space feels more open to the public.

“It's a lot more welcoming, and it's more suited for families, so I'm happy that I was able to contribute to that," Gonzalez said.

The shelter says pet adoptions climbed after the artwork went up.

Gonzalez is now getting ready for her next project, a library in San Antonio.