A ROLLING Stone gathers no moss, not least because guitarist Ronnie Wood is busy painting when he is not bestriding the world with the veteran British rockers.

In a rare opportunity to see his art in the north, Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, is holding an exhibition of Wood work from this week until May 8.

Ronnie grew up in West London surrounded by his two later passions: music and art. During the Second World War - before Ronnie was born in 1947 - the Wood family saw out air raids in the bomb shelter in the garden, where his brothers, Ted and the aptly named Art would fill hours by drawing with their father.

"Dad would show us how to do better," Art recalls. "He didn't have any training but he had a natural flair for drawing, and by the time Ronnie arrived, drawing and painting were already a firmly established part of our family and growing up."

Ronnie furthered his interest in art at the Ealing School of Art and it was there, in 1963, that he started his first band, The Thunder-birds. He progressed through The Creation to join the Jeff Beck Band in 1968, where he met Rod Stewart, going on to form The Faces together in late 1969. In 1975, upon Mick Taylor's departure, he made his first appearance with the Rolling Stones in New York, playing Brown Sugar on the back of a truck travelling down Fifth Avenue.

All along his musical path, he has continued to paint and draw, and a good cross section of his work - both original pieces and prints - is on show at Nunnington, for sale at £380 to £40,000 (yes, you read that right).

The bulk of his art portrays family and other musicians, but he is also known for his animal paintings, such as his T-shirt designs for the animal charity TUSK. His many portraits include John Lennon in his New York days, actors Jack Nicholson, Judy Garland, Walter Matthau and John Belushi, self-portraits and countless sketches of his fellow Stones.

Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12.30pm for lunches and the garden, 1.30pm to 4.30pm (last admissions) for the exhibition and main hall. Please note: the hall will be open on Bank Holiday Monday.

Updated: 15:33 Thursday, April 28, 2005