The opening will also include an appearance by the great actor, and Beksinski collector, Chip Joslin.

One man’s dark is another’s light

I’ve collected art for decades and am currently the owner (or caretaker) of three incredible oil paintings along with ten original drawings of the late Master, Zdzislaw Beksinski. Through the generosity of my dear friend and Beksinski’s beloved agent, Valdemar Plusa, I am also the proud caretaker of a most prized artifact, Beksinski’s last known palette. It was signed and dated August 22, 2004, just months before his tragic, untimely murder on February 21, 2005.

I have always tried to surround myself with the best people, films, and art. I can only hope that this has made me a better person. There are just a handful of artists who are so incredibly inspired that they just never seem to miss the mark. There is no doubt that the great Master, Zdzislaw Beksinski is one of these. I draw great inspiration from even the simplest of sketches by the late master and many of my friends are artists and also draw inspiration from Beksinski masterpieces. I’ll never forget when one incredibly talented artist friend graciously shared his most personal thoughts with me about Beksinski. He was so enamored with Beksinski’s overwhelming honesty and skill and just felt he could never come close to such artistry. Sadly, he even questioned his own desire to continue creating works since he truly believed that Beksinski had already produced the best. I’m proud to say that my friend has learned to overcome his fear and continues to produce amazing art and is a rising star in the art world with thousands of admirers and collectors across the globe.

As a performing artist, it is always my desire to put others in touch with their own feelings. It doesn’t have to be what I feel; I just want my audience to feel something. Anything. That’s how we grow. Beksinski would rarely divulge his personal thoughts about a painting and would in fact, rarely even assign a title. Selflessly, he didn’t want to push his personal interpretations and ideology but desired to have people make their own assessments of his works and to explore their own personal journeys. Beksinski was not only a master of his craft but also a thoughtful, caring and generous individual so I guess we should expect nothing less.

When I first discovered what many refer to as the “dark art” scene, I actually felt guilty and embarrassed that the images appealed to me at such a high level. In fact, I even gave my first piece away. Why are we conditioned to believe such nonsense? Likewise, many have labeled Beksinski’s work as simply the “macabre” or “death and darkness”. Just as in life, in Beksinski’s work, there are clearly elements of pain, despair, loneliness and even sensuality. I personally see the purest form of selfless honesty. Once you’re blind to fear, you can only see beauty.

-Chip Joslin
www.chipjoslin.com

Chip Joslin is an actor, filmmaker and passionate art collector currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. Though he has always had an affinity for Polish art like the works of Zdzislaw Beksinski, Stanislav Szukalski, and Dariusz Zawadzki, Chip has amassed hundreds of original paintings, sculptures and drawings from many of the most sought after modern artists. Throughout his show business career, Chip has worked on dozens of feature films and television shows and has most recently worked with the composer and fellow art collector, Cris Velasco and voiced the “Evil Force” for “Resident Evil: Biohazard”, the latest hit from the Resident Evil franchise.