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.

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.