A first for the gallery, though not for the artist, took place Friday evening, Oct. 25, at Main Street's Inhabit Home Store and Art Shop where nationally-noted painter Chelsea Kosta debuted a local exhibition of her works by offering up a live painting performance.

The opening night show gave attendees a rare, up-close glimpse into Kosta’s artistic process "in real time." According the press kit provided by Inhabit owner Torsten Mayer-Rothbarth, Kosta, is "known for her vibrant, dynamic compositions that blend abstraction with nature-inspired themes."

Her work has been featured in numerous galleries and private collections across the country. The reception in town last week provided "a personal introduction to her latest collection, which explores themes of transformation and fluidity through bold color palettes and layered textures."

She says her paintings are “all-over” compositions, exploring "how tension and tranquility build on one another, one translucent layer at a time with dynamic coloration, value subtleties, a rhythmic mark making application technique, and horizontal and vertical gestures."

Kosta is a self-described "minimalist in practice," who "values the act of seeing, and invites the viewer to remain in the moment and form a relationship with each individual painting. She states each painting becomes itself fully, using me as a conduit. I remain present as a vehicle, and the painting, as an entity, speaks for itself using color as its language."

The  October 25 performance was scheduled to last some two hours, and Kosta completed the still untitled effort in almost exactly 120 minutes. She used black and white acrylics with a "hint" of a red. Kosta did not employ brushes, but rather a large oblong object known in painting as a "spatula."

"I focus on my use of materials, and through my practice of ‘accepting imperfection as truth’, I trust that the painting will tell me when it is finished," Kosta explained. "When the final mark is made, the painting no longer speaks as a wanting entity, the vision is one of wholeness; like placing the last piece of a puzzle, there is nothing left to do, but sign it."

While acknowledging it was "uncommon" for Inhabit to have a live performance opening, Mayer-Rothbarth said Kosta previously debuted an exhibit in Los Angeles with a similar show.

"It was the first time we've done something like this," Mayer-Rothbarth explained. "It was so different than our regular openings where people are talking and drinking and music is playing. This one everyone got very quiet, they were whispering, focused on what was happening in front of them."

Kosta has a few other pieces also on display at the gallery for the rest of the calendar year, scheduled to end on December 31.

Inhabit debuts its next featured artist on Friday, Nov. 1, when renowned German illustrator Juliane Filep brings to the gallery some of her works, which were recently featured at the internationally-acclaimed Frankfurt Book Fair, for an opening from 6-8 p.m. 

Filep was commissioned to pen drawings exploring the benefits of reading for the "Frankfurter Buchmesse," as it is known in its native language. It is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. The five-day event takes place annually in mid-October at the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds. Attendance typically approaches nearly 300,000 patrons.

The themes of Filep's work emphasized how reading can keep one young and can comfort us in times worry. As an accompaniment throughout Friday evening, writer Ashley Allen will also be reading some her poems.