Arts and Literature

The legendary axeman comes from a long line of painters and is highly accomplished with a brush himself. So much so, in fact, that he is one of the world’s most collectable artists, a fact that leaves Ronnie pretty speechless.

"It’s quite shocking really. My son told me I was the number one selling contemporary print artist in the US. It took a while for that to sink in. I paint for me, but am, of course, also happy to know my paintings are increasingly well received."

They’re about to get another warm reception when they come to Manchester for a show at the Richard Goodall Gallery. It’s the first time he has exhibited in the city, but it’s not something that Ronnie’s worried about.

Ronnie at his easel

He is used to new experiences, thanks not only to his long career of wild times as a rock and roll guitarist, but to the fact that he’s also painted some very famous faces – and that’s not just his band mates!

Whadd'ya think

As for his fellow Stones, he says that Mick, Keith and Charlie all say they like his work, as do the majority of his subjects.

"Most have been quite positive actually. I was in New York City on tour, and Bill Clinton came down to see my exhibition at an art gallery in Soho. He bought a print, I gave him one as a present and said I would paint him. So that is my next portrait!"

Ronnie’s passion for painting is as old as his love of guitar and he insists that he would "never want to pick just one". In fact, he sees the two art forms as being more similar than most people would imagine.

Horses (c) Ronnie Wood

"Music is art and art is music on paper. I am so lucky to have the experience of both in my everyday life; they feed off each other and thrive very well together.

"There is no shortage of creative inspiration provided through music, performing, being on stage in front of hundreds of thousands, the electricity, the song writing and rehearsing. Off that stage, I want to record the memories on paper, telling a meticulous story to everyone who was not there."

Emotional rescue

That story hasn’t always been the most pleasant one. Alongside his career highs with The Faces, Jeff Beck and the Rolling Stones, Wood has faced difficult times, not least when he had to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse. He says that these times are just as inspirational to his art.

Away from his own canvases, Ronnie is a keen art collector himself and his musical talent has given him the chance to experience a love of a wide variety of styles from a vast number of places.

"My taste is incredibly varied– from Picasso, Caravaggio and Goya to William Orpen, Banksy and Tracey Emin. Not to mention the street painter in the market bazaar in Bucharest, for example. I could hardly list them all. Wherever I am, especially when on tour, I try and visit the local galleries and museums."

So next time the Stones are in town, look out for a wiry gent wandering round the Manchester Art Gallery – you might just be lucky enough to end up discussing LS Lowry or Ford Madox Brown with a guitar legend.

Ronnie Wood’s Paintings and Prints are on show at the Richard Goodall Gallery from Friday 30 November 2007 to Saturday 5 January 2008