British painter uses Kate Moss in series of works

LONDON -- Kate Moss is the subject of four paintings by Stella Vine now on show at a London exhibit, including one based on a tabloid photo that allegedly shows her preparing a line of cocaine.\nA portrait titled, "Must Be the Season of the Witch," is based on a photo of the 31-year-old supermodel that was published in a London tabloid in September. Vine said Friday she usually bases her work on press photos.\nMoss entered The Meadows rehab clinic outside Phoenix after the photo was published. She left the clinic in late October and has resumed her modeling career.\nTwo of Vine's other paintings of Moss are also portraits. One shows a wide-eyed Moss holding a champagne glass. Another, titled "Holy Water Cannot Help You Now," shows her holding a cigarette in her hand as paint drips from her face.\nThe fourth shows Moss waving from a window in the Priory clinic where she was treated for alcohol and drug problems in 1998. It also features her boyfriend Pete Doherty, ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp and other celebrities.\nVine said she became interested in painting Moss because of the spirit she saw in her eyes.\n"She's like Mona Lisa; she may not be the most beautiful woman in the world, but something comes through her eyes. ... There's a bravery in Kate's eyes," the 36-year-old British artist said.\nVine gained attention last year with her painting of Princess Diana with blood dripping from her mouth. It was sold to Charles Saatchi, one of Britain's most influential collectors of modern art.\nThe paintings of Moss are on display until Jan. 1 at Hiscox Art Projects, an exhibition space located in the office of a fine art insurer in East London.