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From: North Jersey Media Group Paint used to be PAUL STANLEY's mask, a coat that simultaneously brought him fame and shielded him from his fans. For the better part of 30 years, Stanley crisscrossed the country wearing a layer of white on his face, slathers of red on his lips and a black star around his right eye. He would hit the stage in black spandex, his buddy Gene would spit blood, and his band would pledge to rock-and-roll all night ... and party ev-uh-ree day. Paint carried Stanley and the three other makeup-clad members of KISS from one packed house to another, from one continent to another, from one collection of screaming fans to another. It helped Stanley carve out his onstage identity. So is it any surprise that Stanley gravitated toward paint? Is it any surprise that Stanley found a calling capable of complementing his music? "There's two kinds of music and only two kinds of art," Stanley said, "good and bad. And you can find both in any style." Six years ago, he first took up brushes and began splashing colors around on a blank canvas. A friend told Stanley he painted to deal with grief. Stanley had never painted but did major in art at a performing-arts school when he was young. "When you try to tell people when you're 6 years old that you want to be a rock star, they pat you on the head and say, 'Go play cowboys and Indians,' " Stanley said. "I pursued more art. It seemed more practical. Ultimately, I figured that my calling was really music." All these years later, he was making his way over to a store that sold brushes and canvases, oils and watercolors. He went home, set up an easel and painted a self-portrait. The first piece Stanley had the temerity to hang on his wall was "Green Planet," an orb encircled by red trim and surrounded by hues of orange, yellow and purple. Guests began lingering near the frame. Friends requested the name of the artist. "It was the kind of sign I wanted that I couldn't have hoped for," Stanley said. "To have people drawn to a work of art on the wall, asking who the artist was." Whether his work is any good is subject to debate. Sarah Cunningham, director of the college art gallery at the College of New Jersey, said Stanley's abstract renditions are better than his portraits. "When I look at these paintings, I see a real immediacy, which I think is appealing," said Cunningham. "[He has a] bold use of color, which I think is exciting." Even Stanley acknowledges his name makes it easier to persuade galleries to show his work. "Sure, I have an advantage over someone else," he said. "But ultimately I have to stand or fall on my own merit." Stanley will be appearing in New Jersey for a pair of exhibitions next weekend -- one at the Shops at Riverside in Hackensack, one at the Mall at Short Hills. "I didn't become famous to cut myself off from the people who made me famous," Stanley said. "It's another avenue, another vehicle to connect to people that matter to me. I enjoy it, too. Obviously I enjoy painting and drawing and creating for myself, but I would be a liar if [I] didn't say [I] ultimately want approval from others." Stanley has a solo tour scheduled this April to promote his most recent album, "Live to Win." He said he would not be stunned if another KISS tour happens down the road. "The great thing about KISS is we can always go out," Stanley said. "The offers are always there. Really at this point I have to say taking my band out is like driving a sports car, and taking KISS out is like trying to launch an aircraft carrier. A lot more goes into it. A lot more is at stake. The finances are staggering." Art is a different animal. He can be himself, no need to scream at the crowd, no need to don face paint. "I'll leave that home," Stanley said. E-mail: kerwick@northjersey.com |
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