An artist is hoping to display a portrait of Heather Mills-McCartney which the former model snubbed.

Sarah Macdonald spent three months on the oil painting, which was to be auctioned for charity.

But despite finishing it two years ago, she has been unable to display it because Mrs Mills-McCartney, who is currently divorcing Sir Paul McCartney, did not want the publicity.

She told Miss Macdonald in an email: "I don't think I look very kind. The press portray me as hard and cold. I wasn't keen on the sternness of it.

"Aside from that, it is a masterpiece. Well done."

But Miss Macdonald, who works from her studio in High Street, Witney, said she was trying to show her subject looking determined.

She said: "The picture was for charity and I wanted to show Heather looking serious and determined. Because she used to be a model it was hard not to get her posing and smiling, I wanted to catch her looking natural.

"I have had it sitting at home for two years because Heather didn't want the attention because of the divorce.

"Now has come the time to get it displayed so it can be sold. People need to be able to see it before they buy it."

It was to be sold in aid of Adopt-A-Landmine, which includes Mrs Mills-McCartney among its patrons.

But Miss Macdonald, 28, of West End, Witney, now intends to give the profits of the sale to Focus 12, a charity for young people with alcohol problems.

Next she wants to paint David Cameron.

She said: "I think it will be interesting to paint a politician. David Cameron could be the next Prime Minister. In the run-up to the next General Election people are going to be very interested in him.

"I am in two minds about him; I think a lot of people of my generation are. I don't know much about him but I think it would be really good to do him with a naive approach."

Miss Macdonald needs just 20 minutes with her subject. She takes photographs and chats over a cup of tea to get a sense of the person which she conveys in the picture.

To see more of her work visit www.macmodo.com