JUST two months after running the London Marathon in 1995, Keith Jansz was paralysed in a car accident.

But, despite being unable to move from the shoulders down, the former sailor and windsurfer set about rebuilding his life using one of the only thing he could – his mouth.

Mr Jansz, 49, from Finmere, near Bicester, is now setting the art world alight with his work, all painted using only his mouth and tongue.

He is donating his latest work Radcliffe Square Oxford, depicting one of the Oxford skyline’s most recognisable buildings, to Helen and Douglas House, which provides hospice care for terminally ill people under the age of 35.

Mr Jansz said: “It is difficult to express the importance of painting in my life, because it affects everything I see, feel and do.

“I can’t escape it and I have no desire to. Before 1995, when life for ever more changed in a split second, I don’t think I really saw the world around me – the nuances of light on a dull day, the reflections in puddles after the rain.

“But now I revel in these simple pleasurable sights, but at the same time try to keep them in my memory until I can use them in my painting.”

Mr Jansz’s interest for art was sparked in 1996, when his wife Cindy’s mother gave him a collection of biographies of the international self-help organisation Mouth and Foot Painting Artists called Painters First.

Mr Jansz said he was able to empathise with the artists’ tragic stories, and was inspired by reading their triumphs and successes.

Despite what he calls “disastrous early efforts”, Mr Jansz persevered and in 1998 he was accepted as an artist by the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.

He will present the 40in x 48in painting, worth about £2,000, to Sister Frances Dominica, the founder of Helen and Douglas House, tomorrow.

Mr Jansz said: “When I undertook this large canvas it was probably the most daunting project I had painted.

“The painting has been displayed at several of my exhibitions but I felt that its permanent home should be in Oxford. I am delighted that the painting will be displayed in Douglas House, and I hope that it will provide pleasure and inspiration to patients, families and staff.”

Douglas House spokesman Lin Beekar said: “The fact that the painting is of Oxford makes it a very fitting donation. Art and other therapies and activities are a very important part of the care at Douglas House.

“Thanks to Keith’s generosity it will be enjoyed by everyone, from young patients and their families to staff, volunteers and visitors.”