Paul Stanley back in his KISS days.

When it comes to KISS, ironically it’s paint that comes to mind. But for Paul Stanley, KISS lead guitarist, paint is something more than just a face covering.

Several years ago, when Paul was going through the sweet pain of divorce, his desire to paint was reignited from many years before. For Paul, painting is a “nice outlet” that differs from music. As someone who has always considered painting and music to be related, I asked Paul what he thought the difference between them was in terms of self-expression. “Painting doesn’t have to follow the rules of music, whether that be chord progressions or lyrical form,” he said. “Painting is about freedom, where all of your emotions can be expressed at one time.”

When I asked Paul if there was a connection between his paintings and what inspires him, his answer was simple and yet omniscient: “Life.” He explained that “[the paintings] are all a part of me, whether it be sadness, joy or anger. All of my paintings are part of the larger story of my life.”

Paul’s paintings range in style from the simple yet vibrant “Winter Sun,” which is a yellow circle on a green background, to “Scream,” which depicts a graffiti-esque face painted with the various emotions of divorce. One of the uniting factors in his art is his use of broad, thick paint strokes; he is not afraid to let the paint take over and transcend the canvas.

My favorite part of Paul’s work is the beauty he puts into simplicity. He has an amazing way of shouting out loud when it comes to conveying messages both in music and in painting. Many of his pieces are either a heart or a circle; both natural shapes that, in my opinion, resonate in the human mind. Many of the hearts are similar in design and yet, like fingerprints, they are all unique. To me, the meaning is simply that each of our hearts beats to its own rhythm. No two people are ever the same, but somehow it is our hearts that guide us to one another.

There was one piece that stands out to both me and Paul—he calls it “The World Below.” “It has a great dynamic and a great balance, which is something really amazing,” he said of the painting that is both dramatic and peaceful. Paul expressed to me that one of the most beautiful feelings that comes with being an artist is that of “creating something intangible; taking a blank canvas and making it into art” and really crafting a story without limits.

Along with being a painter, guitarist and songwriter, Paul is Jewish. For him, Judaism is a way of life: “For lack of a better word, it is a sort of spiritual gathering, or club,” he said. “It is by no means the only one, but it is what works for me.” Judaism has always been a core part of his life and an inspiration that flows through his work. I asked him to tell me a little about Judaism in his childhood. “My mom, being an immigrant whose family fled Germany in the time leading up to the war, and my exposure to Holocaust survivors, made Judaism a very indelible part of my childhood,” he said. “I think that my parents, growing up in families that appreciate the arts, exposed me to a lot of culture that maybe is, unfortunately, missing in a lot of households. Culture and the arts were vital and essential as nourishment.”

To finish our interview, I had to ask the question I always wanted to ask. Sorry, it’s not "Are you jealous of Gene Simmons’s tongue?" (though I did consider asking), but rather how he knows when a painting is done, especially since it has no rules or boundaries. His answer is not only a guide to the inner artist inside each of us, but to all of us on our journey through life: “When you paint, you need to go with your heart and sometimes that path is unclear. Finishing a painting is like driving on a highway: if you miss your chance to exit, there is always another one only a few miles ahead.”

To view Paul’s work, visit his website at paulstanley.com.

Ben Tepfer will be a freshman at the University of Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications this fall. Besides writing, Ben loves photography, making films and playing guitar. He also tried very hard to avoid making any lyrical references to KISS in this article. But, just for fun, he included two such references in the story. Can you find them?