Paul Stanley Finds Home in World of Art

Musicians taking up the paintbrush is nothing new. From Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood to John Mellencamp to the late David Bowie, it seems like anyone who randomly wandered into a Blick art supply store while on tour found a new hobby throwing paint on canvas.

That wasn’t quite the case for Paul Stanley. The guitarist, frontman, and co-founder of Kiss was going through a painful divorce in 2001 when he began painting as a healthy way to express his emotions, which were at times all over the place.

“It made more sense than wrecking my house,” Stanley tells Rock Music Menu, laughing. “A friend of mine said, ‘You should paint.’ And I had nothing to lose, so I went out and bought paints and canvases and started.”

Nearly a quarter of a century in, the exercise has sprouted into another creative and prosperous outlet for the rocker. This weekend, Stanley will be making two area appearances as part of a November fine art tour. Friday, he’ll be at the Wentworth Gallery at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City and Saturday in North Jersey at the Wentworth Gallery at The Mall at Short Hills.

At both events, he’ll be showcasing his new original paintings, hand-painted signature Ibanez guitars, mixed media originals, hand-painted acrylic sculptures, and limited-edition artwork, including pieces on metal.

“It’s just another means of expression, and for me, anytime I find a way to express myself in a new way, I find out something new about myself,” Stanley says. “So, whether it was [with] Kiss or writing those songs, or doing Phantom of the Opera or growing up with classical music or going to museums or painting, it’s all an attitude of instead of saying ‘Why?’ just saying, ‘Why not?’”

One year ago, Kiss called it a day, in a touring sense at least. The band, known for hits like “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Nite,” as well as their grease-painted faces and spectacular live shows, closed out the four-year-long “End of the Road” world tour with a pair of sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. Going from 25,000 screaming fans in an arena to a room full of people who are there to see what was created in some of his most raw and exposed moments, you’d think Stanley would be intimidated.

“Perhaps initially, when I first showed some of my art, because I never painted with the idea of anyone seeing it,” he says. “It was only because some people saw pieces in my house that were unsigned and went, ‘Who did them?’ I’m not nervous, because I love my art. I love some of it more than others, but I’m not looking for anyone else’s approval, although thankfully I’ve gotten it in droves. I guess what I’m sharing is an opportunity, I’m sharing an opportunity for you to see another side of me and maybe find out something about yourself.”

Stanley has always been a proponent of individual growth and exposing himself to different things. He thinks people get too wrapped up in limiting their own personal tastes or experiences.

“It’s not that different than when I’ll hear people go, ‘Oh, I only like jazz.’ Well, okay, that’s kind of like saying, ‘I only eat chicken.’ It’s like, well, [there’s] a whole lot of food out there and you could benefit from it all. It’s not only nutritious, but it’ll help you grow. So, for me, I’ve never understood narrow taste in music. Life is like you need all the food groups, no matter whether you’re eating it or ingesting it, or experiencing it.”

Stanley points out that the most consistent aspect of his painting is the vibrancy represented in the colors he chooses. He says that color, “is a reflection of how I view life on its worst day.”

“Life’s a miracle, so black and white doesn’t really appeal to me. I see life as full of color and pulsing and vibrant and challenging and rewarding, and so I think that’s what probably comes across in my art is freedom.”

Like any other form of art, painting is often about expressing oneself. People may start it for one reason and then continue for another entirely. The pursuit has been called meditative by some, a way of stress reduction for others, or even a way to face down a challenge.

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“It’s therapeutic,” Stanley says. “I think anytime you can purge or let a part of yourself out, you’re better for it. I think emotionally, it’s always great to keep the faucet running. There’s no danger of the pipes bursting or getting rusty.”

The 72-year-old Stanley doesn’t need to worry about getting out of practice when it comes to music either. Soon, he’ll be focusing on what was once a side project in Soul Station, where he and an expanded backing band perform soul and oldies from the Motown and Stax Records catalogs, mixing in originals in the same style.

“We’re just lining up shows and tours now nationally and internationally,” the singer says. “It’s financially daunting to take a band of that size out, but selfishly, it’s so rewarding for me because those songs mean so much to me. Whether it was coming from Motown or Philly soul – Gamble and Huff – or Holland-Dozier-Holland or Barrett Strong, all these great people who were producing all this music. So that is as much a part of me as British rock or any other music.”

“That’s why I think it’s so important for people to not limit themselves in terms of music they listen to, because it is also fortifying and invigorating,” he adds. “I was lucky enough to see Otis Redding live. I saw Solomon Burke. My exposure to music was so varied, and so much of that music is just phenomenal, whether the writing or the performing…selfishly, I love hearing it. Then the challenge comes to sing it. Soul Station is, I was going to say a labor of love, a labor of passion.”

And while Kiss might be finished with the makeup and tours around the globe, Stanley doesn’t shy from the idea of doing a one-off show, be it on one of the annual Kiss Kruise expeditions or even just getting together with his old bandmates for a few songs.

“Anything’s possible,” he says. “Kiss is so far from over, although Kiss as we know it is done. But, having our hands and our ideas and our fingers in what Kiss continues as makes all the sense in the world. So, I look forward to whatever comes next without knowing what comes next. But I’m open to it all.”

A version of this article appears in this week’s print and online editions of my syndicated Rock Music Menu column under the title “Rocker Paul Stanley finds home in world of art “