Ann Bukantas, the Curator of Fine Art at the Walker Gallery identified Stella Vine's painting of Princess Diana
Hi Paul Can You Come Over as a Stuckist painting as soon as she saw the image in the press, and commented,
"It jumps off the page at you as that."
She was very familiar with the range of Stuckist work from preparing at that time for The Stuckists Punk Victorian show
at the Walker during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial.

The Drinker
by Billy Childish

Two major influences
Hi Paul Can You Come Over by Stella Vine is a synthesis of her two major influences, Billy Childish and Charles Thomson, through whom she has fused her own means of expression.

Billy Childish
Childish was the model and inspiration for her to take up painting in the first place. She felt so ardently about his output that she bought two paintings in 1991, even though she was barely scraping by financially. His seemingly chaotic and urgent brushwork was the starting point for how she applies paint and the connection is still obvious. The colour range is also comparable, as is the frequent darkness of subject matter with haunted isolated faces.

Even his speed has been taken on - both artists have remarkably succeeded in finishing some works in fifteen minutes (the time Hi Paul took). Childish's explanation for this is that is releases unconscious material.

Charles Thomson
From Charles Thomson came ideas. Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision is already a well-known painting. Vine was certainly familiar with this and its media profile, having been shown the press cuttings in which it appeared by Thomson himself.

The poweful appeal of a public figure's private thoughts expressed on canvas has not escaped her, whether this was a conscious or merely unconsciously assimilated model.

The closeness of her thinking to his is apparent from earlier works by Thomson. Compositionally Hey Paul is a mirror image of Thomson's Why Doesn't Mr Richards Seduce Me. The theme of the isolated woman yearning for male company is identical too.

Stella Vine
Vine's twist is the particular woman chosen and her own memorable text - and the fact that she made a composite of influences from Childish and Thomson.

School of Stuckism
There is a 'school of Stuckism' to which Vine belongs regardless of any formal affiliation (which she no longer has - nor, for that matter does Childish, a co-founder of the movement with Thomson).

Ann Bukantas, Fine Art Curator, the Walker, Liverpool
So apparent is this that the painting was recognised as Stuckist on first sight by Ann Bukantas, the Fine Art Curator of the Walker Gallery, Liverpool. She is currently curating a show of Stuckist work for September's Liverpool Biennial, so is highly aware of the qualities that permeate Stuckist work. She commented, "it just jumps off the page as that."

The continuing influence

Transcriptions of Gainsborough
Charles Thomson painted a transcription of Gainsborough's The Hon. Frances Duncombe in 1999. Stella Vine was given a reproduction of this in 2001. Now she has produced her own transcription of Gainsborough's Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, choosing the same three-quarter length pose and a virtually identical (but mirror image) composition . She was present in Thomson's studio in 2001 while he was working on Gainsborough transcriptions, which were bought by Deutsche Bank soon after. .

Wolf Howard
Stella Vine exhibited and invigilated at the Vote Stuckist show in Brixton in 2001 at a crucial stage in her development. It was her introduction to a group of visual artists, and had a galvanising effect on her. Ideas and images not present in her work before that time have continued to emerge since, and in her first solo show of work Prozac and Private Views (Transition Gallery, June 2004).

Cats and dogs are normally considered twee subjects, but Wolf Howard showed how they could be painted with conviction and insight, showing humour, sensitivity and pathos. The detail from his Two Dogs shows a clear precedent for Vine's Lucy with its strong black face and doleful eyes depicted full on. Howard three years later has painted an angry aggressive dog, and Vine, quite independently, has followed a parallel course as seen in I Will Always Love You.

Joe Machine
Also exhibited in the Vote Stuckist show was Joe Machine's Until the Last Dog is Hung. The dog with bloody bared teeth has reappeared in Vine's I Will Always Love You.

Even more remarkable from the same Machine painting is the dead dog. It has blood running from its mouth, a detail not seen in Vine's work at the time, but now her 'trademark' from her paintng of Princess Diana onwards. Blood was something of a trademark for Machine for years before as is evident in the other details above.

He also demonstrated the viability of recycling iconic blonde movie stars and that there was artistic life for them beyond Warhol. His choice was Diana Dors. Some years later, Vine settled on Catherine Deneuve.

Update 2005

Mark D, was somewhat taken aback by the striking similarity between his painting of Billy Childish (far left) and one by Stella Vine of Princess Diana which appeared several weeks later (near left). Last year Mark D attemped to buy a painting from her and was told to "go fuck yourself". Read about it here. Mark D is a collector and also a guest artist whose work appears on this site.

Hampstead School of Art
The photo shows Stella Vine with her first ever exhibited paintings as part of the Vote Stuckist show in 2001. These are the paintings from her Hampstead School of Art classes. There is straightforward subject matter of portrait heads and a life model. Childish's influence is apparent in the self-portrait (first column, middle picture) and the life painting beneath it. The other paintings are tighter in execution, trying out different styles, as one might expect from a beginner painter.

Charles Thomson's studio
Charles Thomson included her work in the exhibiton. He says, "I thought she had potential but it wasn't being realised in her work, which lacked imagination. I noticed she was continually doodling in her diary various scenes from strip clubs or hostess bars. There was an aliveness and startling frankness and inventivess about these doodles. I told her that she should be making these the basis of her painting, that she should let her real emotions guide her imagery, have faith in her own thoughts and be true to her life experiences - in other words the philosophy that is embodied in the Stuckist manifestos."

The doodle above is typical of many that Vine passed away time with. Thomson pointed out the artistic potential of such spontaneity, and her work was transformed. Her drawings (recorded in his sketches of her) clearly show the shift that has occurred within less than a month.

The first drawing shows her sketchbook with a scene from a strip club, along the lines of her doodles. The next is a stripper and a masturbating priest - suddenly life experiences and her reactions to them become the pivot of her expression. The third is a portrait from memory of Billy Childish performing at the private view at the Fridge Gallery six weeks earlier. Its emotional power contrasts dramatically with the reserved faces she had previously painted, and led in time to the angst-drenched portrait of Princess Diana.

Her first two paintings in the new mode were done in Thomson's studio at his then home in Finchley. He provided technical advice on the process of oil painting, and also discussed aspects of colour, composition and paint handling, whilst working alongside her.

The first one showed a strip club customer with a stiletto heel being ground into his forehead. The second, with a provisional title of The Great Whore of London was in a pose which Thomson later used in his own painting Stripper, shown above.

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• Stella Vine had never sold a painting before but not for lack of interest
• She had never sold a painting because she refused to
• In 2001 she had the offer of all her work being bought regularly so she could live off it and support herself
• She turned down this offer and preferred to go back to stripping for a living

• Her work was exhibited for the first time - in the Vote Stuckist show at the Fridge Gallery, Brixton (31 May - 28 June 2001).
• She was invited to join the Stuckists and found a group which she did (the Westminster Stuckists, listed on the site 12.6.01, renamed The Unstuckists 10.7.01. See below).
• She wrote, "Rafelle... said he liked my pictures, this is a first !!!!!!" (email, 27 June 2001)
• She said , "Thanks for all the encouragement with the painting,and i really enjoyed being with you in the galleries etc…….You are an incredible person.I am shell shocked by everything that has happened." (email to Charles Thomson, 1 July 2001)
• She was also encouraged by other Stuckist artists eg Philip Absolon who gave her one of his life drawings
• Her name appeared in the press for the first time - as a Stuckist artist - in the Evening Standard (20.8.01), with her endorsement, in a story about her marriage.
• She was interviewed by Now TV arts channel (though this was not broadcast)
• She was being filmed for a BBC2 documentary about her marriage (left unfinished because the marriage ended)
• She was invited to promote her work by Charles Thomson alongside his as an 'art couple'. She accepted and he paid off her debts to give her the freedom to pursue her art.
• She had her first solo show at the Rivington Gallery (one afternoon only by invite during her wedding reception)
• She was one of the selected artists for the Addaction charity show at Panter & Hall Gallery, Mayfair (11.9.01)
• She was exhibited internationally in the Paris Stuckist show, Musee d'Adzac, curated by Elsa Dax, Paris Stuckists (19 Oct - 16 Nov 2001). Photo of the show
• She was one of the two featured artists for the Stuckists Real Turner Prize Show 2001 at the Rivington Gallery, Shoreditch (she withdrew shortly before the show was hung, but not before her name had appeared in print in some listings, including What's On In London) in preference to more established artists.

• She attended a talk on Stuckism on 20 June 2000 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson, at the Salon des Arts, Kensington (photos here), so she was fully aware of the anti-conceptual art stance of the Stuckists. The talk was promoted by the Institute of Ideas.
• She founded the Westminster Stuckists group in May 2001. She was invited to do this on at the private view of the Vote Stuckist show (30.5.01). Web archives on Stuckism: home page shows Westminster Stuckists listed on 12.6.01. Groups page lists her as the founder. News page records renaming of Westminster Stuckists to The Unstuckists (10.7.01). Theunstuckists.com domain name registered here.
• She took part in the Stuckist demonstration against Rachel Whiteread's Plinth in Trafalgar Square 4 June 2001. Getty Images photo and with SP Howarth photo.
• She was a helper for the Stuckist Party, General Election (7.6.01) when Charles Thomson stood on an anti-Britart ticket against the then Culture Minister, Chris Smith in Islington South.
• She said Tracey Emin's work lacked 'vision, generosity and compassion' (Charles Thomson, diary 2.7.01)
• She said Billy Childish had "a huge impact on my life, and for that I am truly grateful" web blogspot (24.2.04)
• Billy Childish (now ex-) Stuckist co-founder said, "Me and Charles's views on art are pretty much the same views, regardless of any stylistic differences.The only thing I really disagreed with Charles on was his marketing ideas." (March 2004)

• HER PAINTING STYLE WAS MODELLED ON BILLY CHILDISH
• Billy Childish's work and example was the model and inspiration for her to paint (she also bought a guitar and an old valve amplifier based on his ideas on music)
• She bought two paintings by Billy Childish in June 2001 specifically as an inspiration for her work
• The influence of his painting style is still clearly evident in her current work - vigorous, expressive and often crude brush work
• Her colour range stays within similar parameters to his
• She also works quickly as he does - both artists have managed to complete a painting in fifteen minutes - (Childish's explanation for this is that it releases unconscious material)
• She visited Billy Childish's studio in Whitstable on 26 August 2001.
• HER IDEAS WERE TRANSFORMED BY CHARLES THOMSON
• She was painting standard portrait heads at Hampstead School of Art when she met Charles Thomson in 2001
• Charles Thomson tutored her and gave her new ideas based on the Stuckist approach to art - to open up to her emotions and make an uncensored direct expression of her experiences
• She worked alongside him in his studio, where he advised her on composition, colour and technique as she painted
• She said to him, "Thanks for all the encouragement with the painting, and i really enjoyed being with you in the galleries etc…….You are an incredible person.I am shell shocked by everything that has happened." (Email 1 July 2001)
• Her art took a radically new direction as a result
• This is the direction she is continuing to follow with her current work with "real art that looks at the world around us... it's not all flowers and boxes of chocolates" (Stella Vine, BBC Radio 4, Front Row 16.3.04).
• SP Howarth: "She went from these really ordinary portraits, and when Charles tutored her, they leapt forward and became something quite dynamic and exciting. 'Swinging from the Chandeliers' was a very good painting - in such a short time, she'd tapped into a much rawer nerve." SP (Stephen) Howarth, artist, poet and friend of the couple at the time. Stella was sufficiently impressed by SP's art to buy a painting from him.
• Billy Childish: "Charlie was very keen for Stella to develop her style and to exhibit.... to encourage her to do her her paintings - to say 'this is worth doing and you should do it'... She really liked my stuff and Charlie certainly encouraged her to express herself more openly... I'm glad she gets inspiration from my work and ideas, and appreciate her acknowledging that.
• Dan Paterson: "Stella said that Charles was helping her with her art - developing her style - coaching her - not exactly those words but words to that effect. She did seem happy when she said this, and seemed perfectly relaxed to be with Charles. A painting which she had apparently just finished was propped up against the wall of Charles' studio, near one of his half-finished Gainsborough transcriptions." Dan Paterson, art agent, met Thomson and Vine in 2001 in Thomson's studio.