‘I was honoured to be asked by Paul to have my portrait painted. At the time, we were discussing a stammering pride flag we recently created with other people who stammer. The flag is inspired, amongst other things, by the work of poet and writer Jordan Scott, who compares the unpredictable nature of stammering to water: “I talk like a river”. I wanted this to be reflected in all aspects of the portrait: from the inclusion the sea-green and ultramarine blue to the presence of water, waves and currents.

I’m so pleased that the portrait nails the feeling of being mid-stammer, and almost feels mystical as I access the Clearing (@jjjjjeromeellis), standing strong in a swirling se-green wave of stammering pride’.

Conor Foran 2023

‘I have spent most of my life hiding my stammer, deeply ashamed of how I would be perceived by my peers if I was to block on some dreaded sound. This irrational and toxic fear was borne from a life seeing stammerers being portrayed in the most insensitive way possible on virtually every form of media I have ever watched. I cannot count the opportunities I turned down or denied myself; too many times I hid in silence instead of speaking my mind for fear of humiliating myself with this disability. For too long I thought a competent doctor should not stammer. But finally meeting other stammerers and realising there is a whole community campaigning for our stuttered voices to be heard made me realise that I have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to apologise for. My stammer is part of who I am, WHAT I say is more important than HOW I say it, and I will never allow it to silence me again.

This beautiful painting by my friend Paul shows me finally turning away from the darkness and facing the light, with a stammered word etched on my face but my gaze still turned forward and upwards, unashamed and uncowed. The hospital scrubs represent my new found pride in embracing myself as a doctor who stammers.’

Ramdeep Romann 2021

‘I wanted this portrait to tell my story of stammering. Stammerers do not always get the chance to tell their own story. We are typically type-cast into the role of tragedy, inspiration or clown depending on what seems to best fit the occasion. The gaze of fluent people often decides how we are seen and perceived. Here I wanted stammerers to take control of the lens/paintbrush.

I chose the location. A local park with cute dogs. I tried to stammer on the letter ‘p’. The letter has been a source of anguish over many years as I introduced myself, but these days I try to see stammering as part of myself, a part of my identity. ‘P-P-Patrick’. I chose a jumper that (in theory) I own but my girlfriend spends more time wearing than me. This reflects that stammering is a shared experience, sometimes an intimate one, with others.

In the background, you may notice a magpie or two sitting among the birch trees. I wanted my northern roots to be a part of the picture as well as my stammer. The magpie is Paul’s representation of this symbol (the symbol of Newcastle United football Club). The birch trees are Paul’s idea too. A pioneer species that often starts off a new woodland. Make of that what you will, apparently the original black pines of the park were too difficult to integrate into the portrait.

The scene for the portrait is designed by a stammerer; photographed and painted by a stammerer; of a stammerer stammering. The stammered Gaze.’

Patrick Campbell 2021

‘An amazing portrait of me in mid stammer. I was so pleased Paul asked me to have my portrait painted. I hope what comes through is a strong, determined woman who says what she wants, not apologising for her stammer.It’s the way I talk and if you don’t like it that is your problem. As many of you know I am a feminist, the colours of the books in the background are the suffragette colours.

They are in the bookcases off my beloved grandparents. Those bookcases were very much part of my childhood.

I’d like to dedicate this portrait to my dear friend and STAMMA colleague Lynne Mackie who died of blood cancer in December 2021. Had she lived I’m sure Paul would have painted an amazing portrait of her’.

Christine Simpson 2022