Ronnie Wood unveils Rolling Stones artwork, voices hope for tour

Ronnie Wood had to use stairs to sign his name on his latest work of art — a giant abstract painting of the Rolling Stones.

Unveiled on the corner of the aptly named Wood Lane and Ariel Way in the Shepherd’s Bush area of west London, the music star painted his name on a billboard showing his work.

“It’s great because they finally discovered I can paint,” exclaimed Wood. “Nobody knows I can paint, so we’ve got to make sure that people realize I can.”

Called Abstract Performance, it’s based on Picasso’s The Three Dancers and shows him on stage with the rest of the Stones, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.

He completed the painting in 2020 and there are also others in the series, but Mick Jagger gets no clothes in any of them.

“He’s nude in all of them, because I got the original inspiration from a Picasso piece called ‘The Dancers’ and they were all prancing about in the nude. And I thought, why not? You know, it’s a good form of expression.”

Talking about Watts, who died aged 80 in August, Wood said it meant a lot to them that he gave him their blessing to carry on touring and use Steve Jordan in his place on drums.

The Rolling Stones hope to play a summer tour this year.

Wood also discussed painting a portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh, which was finished shortly before his death in April 2021.

“I’m very pleased with it. It’s a charcoal, a brown sepia pastel of the Duke, and I’d finished it shortly before he died and I was going to show it to him. And then William heard about it and he asked me to present it to him at Kensington Palace, and he wants to show the Queen, so I’m very honoured.”

Wood is selling limited editions of Abstract Performance until Feb. 14 on his website. - AP