WALK into any farmer's kitchen and it's fairly certain that hanging on the wall next to the latest semi-saucy calendar of girls in wellies holding strategically placed hay bales will be a number of paintings or prints of prize bulls and other handsome beasts, writes Simon Parker.

Farmers may not generally be noted for their love of art – but they are very fond indeed of seeing a particularly fine hindquarter or well-turned hoof captured on canvas.

So although a feed merchant may at first seem an odd venue for an exhibition of paintings, it is the ideal location for the work of Cornwall College and Plymouth University-trained painter, printmaker and photographer Suzy Sharpe.

For the next four months Suzy's collection, entitled Celebrating The Animal Image, will be on show at three branches of Cornwall Farmers.

A butcher's daughter who has spent her life around animals and now lives on a small holding at Trannack Mill, near Helston in West Cornwall, Suzy says she is excited about exhibiting her work outside the usual art gallery setting.

"This is a completely new venture for me and for Cornwall Farmers and I am very grateful for their confidence in me because it's quite a leap of faith on their part," she said.

"My father gave me bulls' eyes and chickens' feet to play with when I was a child and it was not until many years later that I realised how weird that was compared to other children's experiences of animals.

"But I think that honest approach to animals did ensure that, unlike a lot of artists, I didn't fall into the trap of portraying animals as cute. I respect animals, I am concerned about welfare issues and I am what could be described as a 'compassionate carnivore' – but I am also realistic. I hope the paintings and drawings convey my respect for animals because I try not to do what other artists do, which is to ridicule animals or treat them as a joke."

Suzy has painted all manner of animals – from ponies and pigs to cockerels and llamas – for more than 25 years and she has exhibited widely, her work being held in collections throughout the world.

Her striking paintings, drawings and photography explore her relationship with animals and the role they play in her life. The dark backgrounds dignify them in a manner that another artist might dignify a human portrait, giving the impression that the subject is looking out and judging the viewer.

"I am interested in the effect that animals and images of animals have on our everyday lives," she says.

"In the body of work being exhibited at Cornwall Farmers I am trying to explore the connection between human and animal."

Executed mainly in acrylics, her 80cm square portraits explore people's fascination with the animal kingdom, the depth of feeling towards animals and the roles they play in storytelling, folklore, mythology, fable and as a result of everyday encounters.

"People often ask if a painting is of a 'special' chicken or an 'important' chicken. And while one might be a Royal Cornwall Show champion and the other an anonymous hen clucking round the yard, I like to think I afford them the same degree of importance. You can pick up a chicken for £1.50 and yet a pedigree dog can cost hundreds of pounds. In painting and in life in general I like to give equal dignity to that humble hen."

Cornwall Farmers is one of the largest and most successful agricultural co-operatives in the country. It has 14 stores in Cornwall and Devon and boasts that you are "never more than 15 miles from a Cornwall Farmers store".

A company spokesman said: "When you go into a feed merchants you expect to see animal feed and accessories, gardening equipment, gates, tractors, country clothing and so on.

"But if you have never visited a Cornwall Farmers store before, Suzy's show may be a good reason to go. It is unusual to see such a large selection of paintings displayed in a non-gallery environment, and it is always interesting to try something new."

Celebrating The Animal Image by Suzy Sharpe will be at Cornwall Farmers in Threemilestone, near Truro, until July 6. It then moves to the Penzance branch until August 8, when it goes to the Wadebridge store. All paintings – which range from £195 to £395 – prints and cards will be for sale and Suzy accepts commissions. For further information visit www.suzysharpe.co.uk or www.cornwallfarmers.co.uk.