Ace Frehley is certainly one of the most well known names in rock and roll, if not it’s most beloved guitarist. As the lone solo instrument in KISS, he has George-Harrisoned the group to a lofty level of success in a record-selling sphere inhabited only by Elvis and the Beatles. The band has come to transcend the genre to become living Americana, as evinced by their celebrated appearances at the Super Bowl, and even more recently, the Olympics’ closing ceremony.
Cosmic Energy, computer generated graphic, by Ace Frehley rendered in 1992 
Round and Round, computer generated graphic, by Ace Frehley rendered in 1993
With legions of fans and now firmly entrenched in the second generational level, the KISS franchise shows no sign of a let-up, even if this farewell tour is the end.
During his hiatus from the band, about fifteen years ago, Frehley found himself with the time to delve into his first love — visual art — and he immersed himself in the then brand new field of virtual creativity. On a visit to the Ronkonkoma offices of Fine Art in 1993, he discussed the creative process employed in his art form of choice: computer generated imaging.
“I would sit down at the computer, “ said Ace, “and before I realized it, hours had passed. I found myself fascinated by the incredible opportunities for expression that this kind of graphic art offered.” As he gained experience in various 3-D rendering and paint programs, Frehley soon began composing images from a combination of natural media elements captured from the real world, and with illustrations created from digital elements. Just as he was beginning to show the work at art galleries, the KISS reunion was in the wind and Mr. Frehley had to devote most of his time and energy to rehearsals, recording and the myriad tasks necessitated by an enterprise of that magnitude. So the art has remained dormant—until now.
Mr. Frehley, the artist, first came to the attention of this reporter in 1965, in an eleventh grade Health Ed. class at De Witt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway, where the legend-to-be was whiling away the time drawing pictures of electric guitars in his notebook. Without being too nosy, I asked him if he played guitar (and how could he not, with his long hair and Beatle boots, which would get him expelled a few months later). When he responded in the affirmative, I told him I had a Farfisa organ and how about a little get together? We organized a few other classmates and rehearsed a number of songs. When psychedelia began to bloom in the spring of 1966, Frehley left us in the dust. I would run into him occasionally and bought a wonderful Telecaster from him, which he customized. The last time I saw him pre-KISS, he was driving a cab and auditioning for the guitar chair in Three Dog Night. He stopped me on the Grand Concourse where we sat down on a stoop and he played a note for note version of Pinball Wizard on my acoustic guitar.
Mr. Frehley’s imagery is a continuation of the fascination he has had with graphics since his early teens. He has been exploring that line artistically since then, a notable result the slanted “S”’s of KISS’s instantly recognizable logo.
He has skewered that line in the same way he has taken the guitar traditions of everyone from the Blues Magoos to Hendrix himself — reconstructing them to suit his own creative needs, the needs of the audience, of the song and of the times. In the context of a band, his inspired “out there-ness” is a perfect counterpoint to the grounded playing of his counterparts.
The mystique surrounding Mr. Frehley that surfaces in his art and music is about to get an even further workout now that the tour is winding down and he is devoting his attention to the multimedia studio he is building for himself and his various projects.
VICTOR FORBES