London artist debuts in Detroit

Stella Vine is a sensation for her life and her work

BY KERI GUTEN COHEN
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

September 29, 2006

London artist Stella Vine painted a mural for her current show at the Detroit Museum of New Art in Pontiac. photo: Jef Bourgeau.

'Stella Vine: The Waltz'

Through Oct. 28 Museum of New Art, 7 N. Saginaw, Pontiac Noon-6 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 248-210-7560 or www.detroitmona.com

Loose, expressive and more complex than meets the eye, figurative paintings by London artist Stella Vine reveal a doe-eyed innocence and insight.

They moved prominent London gallery owner Charles Saatchi to buy a piece depicting a ruddy-cheeked Princess Diana, blood trickling from her mouth, with text that says: "Hi, Paul, can you come over, I'm really frightened." The 2004 purchase sparked a London media frenzy that still hasn't died down.

Vine's life story is the stuff of splashy British tabloids -- girl escapes bad stepfather and takes to the streets at 13; becomes a single mother determined to keep her child at 16; works in theater for a while, then makes ends meet by becoming a stripper who follows her dream to become an acclaimed, largely self-taught painter.

Her compelling portraits are on display at the Museum of New Art for her debut American museum exhibition. She also painted a mural in the gallery during her appearance. We talked with her about her life and her art.

QUESTION: Where do you get your ideas for subjects? Is there an urgency to get them on canvas?

ANSWER: "Usually it's something about the image I have found; it could be the person, the romance of something, my own self-projection onto someone or some place. Sometimes the urgent ones are really good; sometimes I'll sit on the idea for a while until more ideas are added. My work is really skewed self-portraiture. The images are from family photos, films, newspapers and magazines, and just occasionally out of my head."

Q: There's a spontaneous feel to your work. Does it take you long to finish a painting?

A: "It varies a lot. It used to take 10 minutes to an hour. Now it's a few days to a month or months."

Q: Why painting and not another medium? What is there about paint that attracts you?

A: "I love the childishness of the process, the memories of squidging bright colors around, the magic of what happens, unrepeatable. I love going into art shops and looking at paints, reading the ingredients.

"It expresses emotion so well, like a pianist, it's just at the end of your fingers."

Q: Did you go to art school?

A: "I went to some evening life painting classes with my son in 1999. I loved it and then couldn't stop painting at home."

Q: How has your popularity changed your lifestyle?

A: "I have always been incredibly shy and had real massive problems communicating with people. I still do. What's been so amazing are all the wonderful people I have met, because the work sort of breaks the ice."

Q: What did you learn from being a stripper that has helped you as a painter?

A: "Crikey, I've seen quite a bit of darkness of character, but then I knew that before I went. Maybe it's the glorious Technicolor of it all -- the glitter, the facade."

Q: What's next for Stella Vine?

A: "I have a major solo show in a museum in Oxford next year." (www.modernartoxford.org.uk)