Ronnie Wood – Pop Up Art Exhibition

Last night Total Rock were delighted to be invited to the private view of the Ronnie Wood Collection where some of Ronnie’s best art works are on show including fantastic images of the Rolling Stones on stage and whimsical parody of Picasso’s ‘The Three Dancers’ and ‘Guernica’ with images of his band members instead of the original figures. These are my favourite works by Ronnie, obviously he has spent most of his life with the other members of his band and his talent for catching their essence is pretty breathtaking. My absolute favourite though is a self portrait of Ronnie which is not a vanity shot, but captures his cheeky grin and his iconic hair to perfection. If I could own one of the paintings that is the one I would choose.

Ronnie was in attendance and even demonstrated his painting for those lucky enough to be there at the time including a large brightly coloured work declaring ‘I feel like painting again’ and a large spinning top (see video).

I have met Ronnie before in connection with his art and was struck by how down to earth and friendly he is. He will be popping in to do some more demonstrations in person at the exhibition over the weekend, so visitors who are lucky enough to be there at the right time may get to meet and chat with him. Better still even if an original piece, a hand painted Fender guitar or a limited edition signed print is beyond your budget (even though the latter are reasonably priced at about £500) there is other merchandise on display such as books, CDs and merch featuring the artworks that might suit your pocket, including chocolate! Lulu also popped in when I was there so you do not know who you will meet. Also super interesting are the Rolling Stones set lists which Ronnie turns into mini artworks and stand as documents of history in their own right.

Ronnie’s art is wider that the Stones phenomena and, works with other subject matter, such as ‘Wild Horses’ are beautifully and expressionistically rendered. Clearly he works quickly with a great eye for nature and movement. It was also beautiful to see a loving intimate portrait of his wife.

Also on display are ceramics, a rug and a sofa featuring his brightly coloured work which sing with joie de vivre. Much of the work is life affirming ‘When I Look After Myself I can Achieve Anything!’

The Exhibition continues until 15 December at 71 Blandford Street in Marylebone.

With thanks to Ronnie Wood, Sara Farrell (Curator) and Bernard and David of LD Communications.

Dawn Osborne