AN 88-year-old artist has painted a portrait of the Duchess of Cornwall which will go on permanent display.
Ruth Heppel, from Pyrton, unveiled the oil painting at Helen House, a childrens hospice in Oxford, where it will hang in reception.
The Duchess, who is a patron of the charity, attended the ceremony on Friday during a visit to mark the 10th anniversray of Douglas House, a hospice for young adults.
Mrs Heppel visited Clarence House three times so the Duchess could sit for her.
We talked most of the time, she said. We talked about gardens and our children and things that made us laugh.
I dont usually talk as much as I did with her but as a portrait painter youve got to talk to keep the subject lively, to keep the spark going. She is absolutely lovely very friendly, very relaxed, very warm-hearted and very funny. On Friday she came over to me and said, we had such fun, didnt we? which was nice.
Mrs Heppel said the Duchess introduced her to Prince Charles, who was very friendly and informal, and she was shown all the rooms so she could choose one to paint in.
They both liked the portrait very much indeed, she said. In fact she wanted to keep it, I think. Id already promised it to Helen House so they didnt think they could do that.
It took her about a year to complete the portrait.
Im a very slow painter, said Mrs Heppel. I had to learn her face off by heart. Im pleased because I think I got a likeness.
I hope Ive got a bit of her fun and general liveliness. Her sense of humour is very infectious and I hope Ive conveyed that, along with her warm personality. I dont usually paint smiling portraits but I thought it was appropriate.
Mrs Heppels husband, Dr Kenneth Hugh-Jones, who died a year ago, had a close relationship with Helen and Douglas House as he was a consultant at Westminster Childrens Hospital.
She said: I approached them and asked would they like a portrait and they said they would. I asked what they wanted and they said a full-size oil painting.
She then passed on some samples of her work to the charity, which contacted Clarence House.
Mrs Heppel studied under Norman Blamey at the Chelsea School of Art before embarking on a career in portrait painting at home and abroad. She has exhibited at the Royal Academy.
Her other subjects include Kurt Georg Kiesinger, who was Chancellor of Germany in the Sixties, and former Archbishop of Wales Derrick Childs.
