Penelope, who lives in Burlington Place, began drawing and painting five years ago and her son, who won the prestigious BP Portrait prize and has painted JK Rowling and the Duke of Edinburgh, encouraged her.
She is now considering entering the BP Portrait competition herself. "I thought children are meant to follow in their parents' footsteps, not the other way around," said Penelope, who used to own an antique shop in Carlisle Road.
The mother and son had always assumed Stuart's painting talents came from his mystery father – Stuart was one of the early babies to be conceived using artificial insemination by a donor in Kings College Hospital in London.
"About five years ago I tentatively started to draw and paint," said Penelope. "I always remember my first painting was a plate of pears that just happened to be on the dining room table. Stuart encouraged me to keep going. It was only over the last year that I began portrait painting and I showed my son some of my work."
Stuart, who has several portraits and drawings in the National Portrait Gallery, said, "I was very impressed with my mother's work but then thought I might be biased. In order to get impartial judgement of her work, I decided to seek the opinion of several friends, who also make a living though their art.
"Their reaction was extraordinary. It seems that they all thought I was winding them up, and that I had, in fact, painted the portraits myself."
Penelope said, "This was the just the
encouragement I needed and now I find it hard to make myself go for a walk. I find painting so exciting, it has become my passion."
Penelope works on canvas from life sittings or from photos, and portraits take several weeks to complete.
She said, "Although I have painted younger people, I particularly enjoy painting the more mature. Their lines reflect their lives and make the subject fascinating and, in an unconventional way, beautiful."