Paul Stanley’s Art Was Made for Lovin’

Paul Stanley is not content to rest on his laurels as a founder of the band Kiss. He has become an accomplished painter and this year mounted a national tour to show off his artwork.

Kiss is launching its farewell world tour, and Stanley is also finding time to play with his other band – a soul and Motown revue. As if that wasn’t enough, Stanley has teamed up with footwear retailer Puma to present some snazzy designer sneakers to the public.

Ahead of his Atlanta appearance at the Wentworth Gallery in June, Stanley spoke to the AJT about “punk impressionism,” his advocacy of wounded veterans, his acting chops, and completing the second volume of his autobiography.

Stanley, 66, went to the High School of Music & Art in New York, but failed art. He only started painting 17 years ago, “and that was all on my initiative and without any guidance.”

He was raised Jewish by a mother who escaped Germany, and then the family made its way from Amsterdam to America.

His early acting work involved performing in “Phantom of the Opera.”

“I was asked to audition in New York, and they sent me to Toronto, where I played the final Phantom of the 10-year run. … They put me there because they felt I belonged and standing ovations every night must have agreed.”

Stanley wrote an autobiography, a New York Times best-seller translated into six languages, and is expected to release a second book soon.

In addition to the arts, he is passionate about wounded vets. “We sometimes forget that freedom is only free for those who don’t have to pay the price,” he told the AJT in June. “We tend to take for granted that this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it’s the brave who keep us free. So, I think it’s very important for all of us in any capacity to support our military.”

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