Stella Vine was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England as Melissa Robson and is one of the UK's most controversial artists, dividing both art critics and the public with her colourful and childlike paintings of cult celebrities. Before becoming an artist, Vine worked as a stage actress, theatre director and producer, musician and dancer. In 1997 she changed her name by deed poll to 'Stella Vine' inspired by the lyrics from a song by PJ Harvey and the guitarist Poison Ivy. Vine started painting in 1999, started her own gallery in a derelict butcher's shop in 2003 and began showing her work in London. In 2004 renowned art collector Charles Saatchi bought Vine's now famous work 'Hi Paul, Can You Come Over', a portrait of Princess Diana, exhibiting the painting in the group show 'New Blood' at The Saatchi Gallery. Since 2004, Vine has shown her work internationally in artist run spaces and galleries in London, Los Angeles, New York, Ohio, Tel Aviv, Oxford, Berlin, Augsberg, Chicago, Northampton, Shanghai and Beijing. In 2007 she had a solo show at Modern Art Oxford and will hold a solo show of her work at Amelia Johnson Contemporary in 2010.
