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From: The Express-Times There are many sides to PAUL STANLEY. First there is the charismatic, makeup-clad, starry-eyed singer and guitarist of the hard rock band KISS. Then there is PAUL STANLEY, the painter. "I started painting totally for myself about six years ago. The response has been beyond what I expected. It's been sort of a personal therapy and relief. It's been a big surprise but one that I'm very happy about," Stanley says. The Queen's native will trade pyrotechnics for Picasso during an artist reception 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, at the Wentworth Gallery's Hackensack, N.J., location. A second showing of Stanley's latest works will be displayed 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills, N.J. "For the most part, I like to paint from an emotional standpoint. I like to get things out quickly and the response to paintings and to art tends to be an emotional one," Stanley says. "The satisfaction and calm of putting something down that is connected to you subconsciously or internally and to be able to translate and transmit that onto a canvas is tremendously rewarding," he continues. In many ways, Stanley has always been a product of the arts. Since the group's inception in 1973, KISS has always maintained a visually dominant persona -- evident in its photogenic, richly colored album covers and trademark white and black, kabuki-like face paint. Stanley wrote and co-wrote many of KISS' biggest hits with bassist and longtime friend Gene "The Demon" Simmons. Songs such as "Every Time I Look at You," "Do You Love Me" and "I Still Love You" featured Stanley's passionate, soulful wail and lyrics of love lost and love found. It's bringing that same emotional honesty and intensity to a blank canvas, Stanley explains, that was the most difficult aspect of his transition from stage to studio. "The challenging thing about art or painting is obviously being able to bring out what is going on inside because painting is done from an emotional viewpoint," he says. "The other challenging part is to know when to stop. You don't want to overshoot your mark. You have to have a certain amount of restraint to say 'OK it's done,'" he adds. Stanley's love affair with the arts started at an early age as a student at the LaGuardia School of Art in New York. Ironically he says, he was not in a painting class. Years later, faced with hard times, Stanley says he was turned on to the medium by a close friend who helped him tap into his inner Rembrandt. "About six years ago, I was going through a sort of personal upheaval and a friend of mine suggested painting. It turned out be something that resonated with me," he recalls. "I found myself sort of purging personally and I was very happy with the results. I remember hanging one piece I was particularly fond of in the family room. People were just drawn to it and they wanted to know who painted it. Then I knew I was onto something," he says. Aside from dabbling in the arts, Stanley finds time to tour the country as a solo artist. In 2006, he released his second studio album, "Live to Win," and his first album since 1978's "PAUL STANLEY." "It was amazing. It's been great to go out there on my own terms and play the songs I love and the songs I've written. It really connects me with what got me into music in the first place," he says. "I get to go into small theaters and clubs and plug in and spend two hours delivering the goods. It's very connecting to the roots of why I do this." Stanley says he plans to continue to explore the medium and flesh out new ideas though he shows no signs of putting down his guitar or hanging up his 7-inch stiletto boots anytime soon. "Art is something I'm certainly going to continue. It's kind of like being on a voyage where you're not quite sure where you're going to wind up but its always interesting." Dustin Schoof is a news assistant and can be reached at dschoof@express-times.com. |
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