A DISPLAY of artwork celebrating the most successful Essex girls has been installed to the amazement of visitors.

Paintings of six of Essex’s most successful and instantly recognisable stars have gone on display in Elmer Approach, off Southend High Street.

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Hit - the exhibition has proved popular with visitors

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Well-known - Nathalie Emmanuel takes pride of place

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Artist - John Bulley alongside some of the work

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The Queen? - John Bulley wonders what Dame Helen Mirren would make of her profile

The display is collectively titled Essex Birds, and is a celebration the colourful portraits of actresses Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Maggie Smith and Nathalie Emmanuel, reality TV stars Stacey Solomon and Gemma Collins and contemporary artist Grayson Perry as his alter-ego Claire.

It is intended to be a playful and satirical riposte to the stereotype of Essex girls.

Southend artist John Bulley, Andy Downes as well as other artists alongside the Southend business improvement district worked together on the project.

Artist Mr Bulley, who was also behind a mural of the late Keith Flint, said: “I deliberately chose Towie’s Gemma because she’s regarded as common but is still hugely successful in her own right.

“She embodies an attitude that confronts other people’s snobbery with a sense of ‘yeah, I’m common but what’s wrong with that?’

“And who can forget Helen referring to her home town as the armpit of the world. It would be interesting to see how she regards her portrait appearing in this street exhibition.”

The paintings were installed overnight on Tuesday April 16.

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Inspired - the exhibition has proved to be a hit

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Creative - Hattie Mitchell painted the portrait of the artist Grayson Perry as Claire

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Display - John Bulley and Hattie Mitchell

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Group - the artists and Bid representatives behind the impressive works