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KISS The Canvas: PAUL Brings Art To St. LouisFrom: Vital Voice Posted: July 16, 2008 PAUL STANLEY doesn’t like a blank canvas. Just check out his chest, full of dark curls, which he’s showed off thousands of times for KISS Army members around the globe. KISS is currently on its 35th anniversary tour, which has seen the beloved band stop in Australia, Russia and all over Europe. But Stanley is taking some time off the road — sans Starchild makeup — to visit St. Louis and show off his paintings. One might expect the art from a member of a band whose initials were thought to stand for "Knights in Satan’s Service" to be a bit on the twisted side. "Like human sacrifices or something? I never have gone on record or told anybody that my life was dark or heavy or ominous," Stanley said. Instead, when he visits West County Center’s Wentworth Art Gallery on Aug. 1 and 2, expect to see colorful, textured images of hearts, peace symbols and moons. It’s the softer side of Stanley. The busy rocker with two successful careers in the arts took some time for a Q&A. COREY STULCE: Do you remember what art classes were like when you were in school? PAUL STANLEY: Funny enough, I probably hold one of the distinctions in that school of having failed art, but that says volumes about my problems with authority figures. CS: Do you use any reference materials? PS: None. I’m on a trip and I don’t know where I’m going — but I know when I’m there. CS: Can you describe the environment in which you’re working? PS: Clutter. Clutter and loud music. CS: What kind of music? PS: I pretty much wore out listening to every R&B tune of the last 40 or 50 years. I’m about to move on and try something else. I’ve gone through everything from the Chi-lites to James Brown to the Spinners to the Temps to Shep and the Limelights — all the way back. CS: What inspires you most when you’re painting? PS: Nothing. I don’t want to paint with my head; I want to paint with my heart and my instincts. I just go for it. CS: How often are you surprised at what ends up on the canvas? PS: Most of the time. It’s either very much a depiction of what’s going on in me in the moment or something that I’m pulling up from some other point. My track record in terms of my own approval is pretty good. CS: Was it a process to get to the point where you knew a painting was done? PS: Yeah, it’s very easy to pass the point. That’s part of the trick, knowing when you’re done. You can go past the point. I tend to look at something for a while and go back the next day, and often it’s better to leave well enough alone. CS: How did the decision come about to go public with it? PS: I just saw that the response was very positive. It was more a lark; it just evolved to that. I have to say I was kind of taken. Initially when the pieces were in a gallery, people would be drawn to them or want to know who did them without knowing they were mine. No doubt I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t say my success and who I am truly gets my foot in the door. But there’s no rule against slamming the door on my foot. I get an access that other people might not, but ultimately you stand or fall by what you’re doing. Nobody’s gonna buy my painting because they like my songs. CS: It might get people in the door, but from there it’s on the quality. PS: Sure. Sooner or later it really does come down to if someone is willing to part with money. That says everything. The amount of people who have been purchasing the art has been phenomenal, way beyond anything I thought. That’s tremendously validating; really gives me a great satisfaction. CS: Do you get the looky-loos? PS: Of course. That’s great. I don’t care why somebody comes to a gallery show. Many people have never been to a gallery or seen art because they’re intimidated. … I’m a big believer that everybody should have art and your likes and dislikes are every bit as valid. Particularly for you, they’re more valid than anybody else’s. CS: What kind of art did you collect before you started painting? PS: At one point, I was into a lot of art nouveau. I was collecting a lot of lamps and Tiffany things. Paintings, some of my few regrets are things that I let pass by, like a large Picasso I didn’t buy at one point. Or Andy Warhol offering to do my portrait and I said, "Some other time," and there’s no more Andy Warhol. For the most part, my taste is pretty eclectic. CS: How would you compare the powers that be in the art world to the music world? PS: It’s much more of a direct connection to the people. You don’t need to go through some big corporate conglomerate to get your painting seen. You don’t have everybody having a title and putting in their two cents — not that I listen anyway. It’s much more direct. There’s me, the gallery and the person who collects. What’s great is there are quite a few collectors who really have no connection to KISS. They’re buying art. For more information about PAUL STANLEY’s appearance, visit wentworthgallery.com or call (314) 821-8884. |
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