Ronnie Wood's former brother-in-law Paul Karslake claims that he worked on the Rolling Stones guitarist's pictures when Wood was not 'in the mood'.


Paul Karslake with his painting of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood portrayed as a vampire

With his paintings selling for as much as £1 million, art has proved to be a very lucrative sideline for Ronnie Wood. The Rolling Stones guitarist faces questions, however, about how much of the work he does himself, as his former brother-in-law has stepped forward to claim that he was, in fact, often the man at the easel.
"I used to help him out all the time," Paul Karslake tells Mandrake. "Me and him would work on a concept together and then it would go from there. I helped him with the actual painting of some of them when he wasn't in the mood."
Karslake, whose sister, Jo Wood, divorced the musician in 2009 after 24 years of marriage, adds: "He was my brother-in-law: you help out where you can. We're talking about a 30-year relationship. Obviously, I am a much better artist than he is."
Jo, who appeared in Strictly Come Dancing, backs up his claims. "My brother used to help him a lot; when he was really busy, that is," she tells me. "He would help him when he had loads on and couldn't complete them. [Wood] is very talented, but he has limited time when he is busy."
Wood's former art dealer Jonathan Poole declines to discuss the allegations. "I wouldn't like to say anything because I don't deal in his art any more," he tells me.
His current dealer, Bernard Pratt, insists that Wood is "totally responsible for his own art". He says: "I help with the printing, but Ronnie is the artist."
The musician, 63, would, of course, be following in a great tradition of artists receiving assistance from a "school" of apprentices. Damien Hirst, who is known for preserving animals in formaldehyde, uses a production line to churn out much of his work.
However, Wood's spokesman says: "It's completely untrue that he got help, and we have nothing further to add."



[www.telegraph.co.uk]