A NEW collection of fine art by Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood has been unveiled at a North East gallery.
In a tribute to his bandmates, the rock legend has entitled his new collection ‘Decades’ in homage to the group’s 50 years in the music industry.
The collection, which is made up of six statement pieces, is now available to buy at Castle Galleries, in Grey Street, Newcastle.
It includes individual portraits of Mick Jagger, Charlie Woods and Keith Richards, alongside a self portrait of Wood himself. Sarah Manghan, manager at Newcastle’s Castle Galleries, said: “Ronnie Wood has an outstanding artistic talent.
“This latest collection is testament to the enduring journey of a truly accomplished artist, and so we are delighted to bring to Newcastle his breath-taking bodies of work to fans of the Stones and Ronnie himself, in their 50th anniversary year.
“Working from real-life on-stage photographs, Ronnie first creates a dramatic black backdrop before painting his fellow Stones with breathtaking clarity and realism, before working in acrylics, then oils and finally embellishing the art with oil pastels.”
Best known for his time in the Rolling Stones, Wood also received formal art training at Ealing College of Art and has continued to paint and draw for more than 35 years, ranging from self-portraits, to musicians, to family and close friends.
This latest collection from Wood is a dedication to the Rolling Stones as a group, as well as individually.
The band’s portraits are titled ‘The Raw Panel Series’ and the individuals ‘Blue Smoke’. Speaking about his passion for art, Wood has cited Egon Schiele as his latest influence, and also spoke of his love for the work of Caravaggio and Leonardo.
He said: “It’s a fantastic buzz I get from being influenced by great people, same as in music. Every now and again something comes up musically that I want to emulate or try and get the same energy or copy the lick. It’s the same with painters.”
Wood’s art has earned him critical acclaim around the world as well as a legion of celebrity fans.
He added: “When I get inspired, I get almost possessed and I just have to paint. There is no kind of therapy like the one you have from starting and seeing a picture through to the end.”
Each piece in Wood’s new collection at Castle Galleris will be available as a limited edition boxed canvas of 125 or a limited edition giclée (a print created on an inkjet printer) of 195. Individual prints are £795 unframed or £995 framed.
For more information, contact Castle Galleries on 0191 233 2200.
