Musicians

Rolling Stones: Ronnie Wood, 2020

acrylic on panel  
30 x 24 in

Joan first met the Stones in 1963, at the start of their career, uncomfortably posing for a photo with them backstage at a concert full of screaming girls in England.

“At that time, I was such a priss,” she recalls. “I made a face in the picture. I didn’t know what to do with myself. This was the big rock ’n’ roll world that I associated with Dylan. And here was folky little me.”

She and the Stones would meet again in 2019 when she visited them backstage at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, a stop on their “No Filter” tour. This time she felt right at home paying her respects to fellow members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

She immediately hit it off with guitarist Ron Wood. Like Joan, he’s an accomplished painter as well as a musician. “He’s a fan,” she says. “And he’s just adorable. He’s got a second lease on life with a lovely wife and twins. He took me back to his headquarters backstage and showed me his paintings. He had them lying all over the floor. He’s an absolutely lovely guy.”