For the last 15 years, Falb’s primary subject matter has been light and motion from rollercoasters and fireworks. Using what would have been throw-away out-of-focus images taken while riding coasters, Falb creates meticulous oil paintings of the light flares and motion blurs captured on film. The paintings are Falb’s means of sharing the exhilaration of a moment in time and are about escaping our day-to-day reality to experience altered states of consciousness.
From the smaller intimate canvases to large immersive compositions, the paintings depict almost entirely abstracted light forms as well as the intricate structural support trusses and beams of the coasters. The effect is that of motion but also of keeping the viewer on edge – Falb tempts us with hints of recognizable elements but deftly obscures just enough to keep the viewer guessing.
From the vantage point of the front car or a helicopter, Falb takes a series of photos with a disposable camera from which she selects the stills to paint. While her paintings almost look abstracted at moments, they are highly detailed and painted with a profound technical skill and understanding of the play of light. The nuances of light trails are decidedly complicated to paint – Falb’s work is a tour de force of detail and ability.
To paint this work, it is necessary to experience the rush, the feel. Shall we call it the sublime? The power of gravity? The excitement mixed with fear as we near the top of the incline. People either love or loathe rollercoasters but they are deeply tied to the idea of escapism – the adrenaline, the rush, the moment.
For Falb, the roller coasters symbolize our ride on this planet in our physical bodies. The light represents our higher selves, our divine sparks, connected to one another in the unified field. Historically, amusement parks, dance halls, and brothels were built in the same area to provide hedonistic playlands for adults. In fact, in 1884, LaMarcus Adna Thompson, known as the “Father of the American Rollercoaster,” built the Switchback Gravity Railway in Coney Island, New York, to distract people from “Satan’s Temptations.” In her paintings, this mystical quality of light emerging from darkness, traveling on a circuitous route through space and time represents our quest for ecstatic experience and is the driving force behind Falb’s work.
CARLA FALB received her BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and a Certificate in Fine Arts (Painting) from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1983 and received her MFA in Painting from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, in 2003. Her work has appeared in exhibitions throughout the United States including at the Noyes Museum of Art in New Jersey, the Preston Contemporary Art Center in New Mexico, and the Alumni Gallery of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 2009, she was a recipient of a Dodge Foundation Fellowship for Artists/Educators to document amusement parks for her series of rollercoaster paintings. Her work has been featured in Shoutout SoCal, New American Paintings, ArtSpeak, and Fresh Paint Magazine among others. She lives and works in Southern California.
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Exhibition Dates: February 22 – March 22, 2025
Opening Reception: February 22, 4-7pm
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat, 10-5pm
