The smell of oil paints hangs heavy in the air when I pop into Jo Tobitt’s art studio. The 70-year-old is hard at work, painting a portrait of legendary boxer Jake LaMotta from a photo taken in the 1950s.

But it’s not the first athlete the Croxley Green artist has captured in oils and neither will it be the last.

She’s just presented Watford’s very own Olympic legend, Anthony Joshua, a portrait of himself, painted from a photograph taken during last year’s Olympics.

“I don’t know what it is about athletes,” says Jo coyly, tilting the canvas, “but I do love painting them.

“And I seem to have fallen in with the boxing crowd. All these strapping, handsome, young men, what’s not to like about painting them?”

Born in Bristol, Jo Tobitt’s artistic talents were noticed at the age of 15 by headteacher Ms Draper, who encouraged her to attend the West of England College of Art part-time.

Although she graduated, it wasn’t until a few years ago that she picked up her paintbrushes in earnest and started painting again.

“I was too busy with life really,” she sighs. “I was running my own engineering business with my husband, so there was never a spare opportunity.

“Since I’ve retired, I’ve returned to my love of painting and have been on a few workshops with the Academy of Realist Art, and I’ve done a watercolour workshop with botanical artist, Anna Mason. At present I’m with the Watford School of Drawing and Painting.”

It was at one of the Watford classes that Jo met Rachel Lordan, whose husband Michael is the secretary for the Home Counties ex-boxers’ association.

And it was Michael, who took the chance photograph of Anthony competing at the Olympics.

Working from the picture, Jo revealed it took her approximately four months to finish her oil on canvas piece. She would wake in the night to finish certain elements.

“The photo wasn’t excellent,” she says. “I really wanted to capture Anthony’s personality. I had so many people telling me what a wonderful, dynamic chap he is, so that was important to me.

“But it was tough. To paint someone you don’t know is hard, you need to try and capture the essence of them. So I’d leave the piece for days and come back to it whenever the moment grabbed me.”

According to Michael, when Anthony was presented with the original piece he is said to have claimed the portrait was so good it was like looking in a mirror.

Jo also gave Anthony’s former coach John Oliver, a canvas print, as well as Finchley Boxing Club.

Since then, Jo has been rubbing shoulders with a host of famous boxers.

“I got invited to a barbecue with boxers,” she laughs. “And now I’ve got enough commissions to last me a year!

“Expect to see pieces of Herol Graham and this incredibly handsome, young, man called Romeo Romaeo. My, with a name like that, he’d have to be a fighter wouldn’t he? Or perhaps a lover!” she guffaws.

In the meantime, Jo is trying to put the finishing touches to the Raging Bull.

“You know, it’s tricky painting from a picture. All I’ve got of LaMotta is in black and white, so I’ve no real idea what his skin tone is like.”

With so many boxing legends in her calendar, is she tempted to branch into other sports, such as football, so that she can capture handsome icons such as David Beckham?

“Painting Anthony has been the pinnacle for me, a dream come true. I like to think he’s kept the piece and has it hanging in his living room.

“But I tell you who’d I paint if I could paint anyone,” she says clasping her hands together, “Johnny Depp, he’s gorgeous.”