AN OXFORD oil painter has his work on show in London at a major exhibition.

Art teacher Francis O’Neill, 35, had his nude painting picked out of more than 1,000 entries to be displayed at the Mall Galleries near Trafalgar Square.

Mr O’Neill, from Cowley, said: ”It means a lot to the way other people will view my work. But I always think the real achievement is in making the work in the first place.”

The Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition opened on Wednesday and runs until December 21.

Mr O’Neill, who teaches at the Magdalen Road Studios, grew up in Manchester and studied at the Edinburgh College of Art.

He said: “I’ve always liked drawing and paintings. I didn’t have much of a direction when I was about 15 until I did art for one of my A-Levels.

“It gave me a real focus. It is therapeutic and productive and you get a sense of achievement when you finish things.”