BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Susan Jenkins will paint or draw on just about any surface she can get her hands on.

A self-taught artist since her early elementary school years, Jenkins has been creating colorful depictions on canvases, slates, mailboxes, trays, furniture and many other paintable surfaces.

Most recently, Jenkins, a Dunbarton resident, has developed an affinity for painting on birch bark, which she has been doing for five years.

“I just look at a piece of bark and I get excited,” said Jenkins. “Sometimes I’m just driving down the road when I see a piece on the ground and I pull over to pick it up.”

She and her husband David often hike the North Country of New Hampshire, picking up usable scraps of birch bark off the ground, bringing it home, soaking it to eliminate living organisms, then drying and pressing it to prepare it for painting.

In addition, Jenkins has a particular passion she likes to focus most of her art on.

“My real inspiration has to do with the interaction between humanity and nature,” she said. “I grew up loving animals.

I had a pet skunk, I had a baby porcupine once, and I’d just bring these animals home because I love wildlife and nature, and that’s what most of my paintings are.”

During the Circle of Art fair in Dunbarton and Goffstown, she will be taking part in The Cat Show portion of the event, which focuses on felines of various shapes and sizes, depicted through many forms of art.

She will be selling many of her creations as well as smaller sized prints of her work.

Though she was born in Littleton, Jenkins grew up in Goffstown, moved to Bethlehem for 10 years and recently moving back to the area, took up residence in Dunbarton.

Recently she met Kate Dalpra, of Iris Custom Framing in Goffstown who got Jenkins involved with a group of local artists, which ultimately introduced her to Pat LaBrecque, who is running The Cat Show.

In fact, LaBreque saw a painting of Jenkins’ mother and a cat and insisted that the artwork be in her show.

“I said ‘I want that painting,’” said Lebreque. “What struck me about the painting is that it’s kind of unusual in that is shows the woman and the cat from behind. It’s really a warm and sensitive portrayal of her mother and her cat that is very simple, but very nice.”

In addition to being self-taught, Jenkins also educated others on her passion for many years.

She started teaching private groups and one-on-one painting lessons in 1984.

“I love the interaction with people, so teaching fits right into that,” she said.

The Cat Show will take place at Black Brook Gallery, 597 Black Brook Road, on the Goffstown/Dunbarton line, May 4 to 13.

The fair will include two other portions the same days.

The Artisan-A-Faire, which will feature top area artisans and demonstrations, will be located at 66 Long Pond Road in Dunbarton and The Dunbarton Arts and Gardens Festival will be located at Dunbarton Arts and Gardens at 14 Stark Highway North.