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The Rolling Stones took a break from the road last year to work with producer Andrew Watt on a follow-up to 2023’s “Hackney Diamonds” and oversee the massive re-release of their 1976 album “Black and Blue.” The break happened to coincide with Ronnie Wood’s 50th anniversary as an official Stone. To mark the occasion, Wood created portraits of the band members, including the late Charlie Watts, which he calls the “Paint It Black” series. Limited edition prints are available on Wood’s website and can be viewed in person at the Redhouse Originals Gallery in Harrogate, England.
Wood has been creating visual art since his early childhood, before he ever picked up a guitar. “For me, my love for music and art belong together and drive each other,” says Wood to ROLLING STONE (you can also see Wood’s paintings in the American colleagues’ article). “When I play the guitar on stage and close my eyes, I imagine new paintings. When I paint, I paint to music.”
Over the years he has created lush visual landscapes as well as portraits of icons such as Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and John Lydon. But much of his work focuses on his Stones bandmates. He creates color visualizations of all their setlists (available here) and has drawn Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and himself in countless ways.
“Out of Control”
The new works in the “Paint It Black” series were created from memory. “I wanted to capture the energy of Mick, Keith, myself, our late friend Charlie and the thousands of live shows we were privileged to play together,” he says. “And I wanted fans to see what I see when we’re on stage – music and art as one… I hope Stones fans can feel the music when they look at these paintings.”
“Tight Section”
Creating Watts’ painting was emotionally overwhelming, he adds. “I was paralyzed when we lost Charlie,” says Wood. “He was the heart of the Stones. He meant so much to all of us and I couldn’t have done justice to the band’s journey together in these portraits without painting him. The last time I saw Charlie, we were watching horse racing on TV and it was just the same as always. He was staying in the same London hospital room I had been in the year before. We call it the Stones Suite. One thing I’ll never forget is Charlie telling us to keep touring because he didn’t wanted our crew out of a job. He even let us know that he wanted Steve Jordan to carry the flag for him. Charlie was the best and he was a total joy to play with.”
“Doctor”
Their shared history dates back to 1975, when Wood beat off stiff competition to become the Stones’ new guitarist after spending time in bands like Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. “It’s hard to believe I’ve been a Rolling Stone for 50 years,” he says. “What a joy. I was already very happy with the bands I was in before ’75. But joining the Stones – it felt like coming home. I still enjoy being a Stone and it keeps me out of trouble – sometimes.”
They haven’t unveiled any official plans for 2026, but they wrote nearly 30 songs for “Hackney Diamonds” and only used 12 on the album. They spent time with Watt this year working on a new project. “I’ve said it before, but it’s like working for Batman,” Watt told Rolling Stone in September. “When your tongue’s in the air, you just go… I can say we recorded together, but that’s all I can say.”
“Connection”
Rumors are circulating about a tour of European stadiums in summer 2026. If that happens, Wood will definitely be there. It’ll be his 51st year as Stone, so should everyone stop calling him the ‘new guy’? “You’d have to ask Mick and Keith that,” he says. “It’s been part of my life for so long that I can hardly imagine doing anything else. So yeah, I feel like a stone.”