In 1973, with the deep wisdom of his mid-20s, Ronnie Wood helped pen the lyrics: “I wish that I knew what I knew now, when I was younger.” They were for the song, “Ooh La La,” a classic for Wood’s then-band, The Faces. What could Wood possibly have known then? Two years later, he officially joined the Rolling Stones, and the rest is history.
This year marks Wood’s 50th anniversary with the band, and he’s released new artworks to celebrate the occasion. His Paint It Black series, which feature himself and his bandmates, went on view earlier this week at Redhouse Gallery in Harrogate in the U.K., and signed, personalized prints of the paintings are available from the Redhouse Originals Gallery in limited editions of 100, priced at £1,250 ($1,630) each.
Ronnie Wood, (2025). Photo courtesy of Redhouse Gallery.
“I apply musical theory to my art. I build limited editions in much the same way as studio overdubs; the more defined ones are things that stand out in the mix,” Wood said in a statement.
Across these canvases, Wood employs a spare, brushy style against black backdrops to capture the Stones’ likenesses and onstage energy. Mick Jagger sings into microphone with his arms spread wide. Keith Richards balances on one leg as he holds a guitar with one hand. Wood leans out, perhaps towards an audience, as he plays his own guitar. The late Charlie Watts wields a drumstick above his set while another musician, off to the side, seems lost in the music.
Ronnie Wood, (2025). Photo courtesy of Redhouse Gallery.
The print release coincides with a reissue of Black and Blue (1976), the first Stones album on which Wood played as an official band member. The band was auditioning guitarists after Mick Taylor quit in 1974, and Wood was up against serious competition. The chemistry between Keith Richards and Wood, who described their collaboration as “the ancient art of weaving,” helped seal the deal. Wood also chalked up his new job offer to “his musical versatility and bonhomie.”
Wood, in fact, has been painting for seven decades—longer, he said in a press statement, than he’s played music. He grew up in a creative West London household, where two older brothers were skilled musicians and graphic designers, and attended the Ealing Art College. His website features artwork that extends back to the 1970s.
Ronnie Wood, (2025). Photo courtesy of Redhouse Gallery.
Wood has an omnivorous approach to subject matter, and his paintings alternately feature his bandmates, Robert Niro, horse racers, nude women, trees, houses, guitars, and flowers. He’s tried his hand at drawing and at sculpture: his site features bronze studies of a torso, a horse head, and a rhinoceros.
In 2020, a large selection of the musician’s paintings, sculptures, and etchings went on view in Hertfordshire to benefit the National Health Service. Critics were scathing about Wood’s works, particularly his reimagining of Picasso’s with members of the Rolling Stones. “The Rolling Stones are the sexiest and most demonic rock band in history,” the ‘s Jonathan Jones wrote, “and Ronnie Wood seems as entranced and appalled by their devilish antics as any bystander.”
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
