Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carla Falb. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carla , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

As a child, I was deeply involved in music. At school, I was a band kid, playing the flute in my school’s marching band, orchestra, woodwind ensemble, and jazz band. At home I spent hours practicing classical piano and even auditioned to play with the Philadelphia Orchestra. My playing was very expressive, but unfortunately not entirely accurate! I decided to make a shift from music to art classes as a sophomore in high school because I thought visual arts would allow me more freedom to creatively express my identity and explore existential questions. By junior year, I became so passionate about making art that it was all that I wanted to do! I decided to submit my portfolio to the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia for early admission, was accepted, and began studying art in college at sixteen. After three semesters, I realized that I wanted to learn traditional painting techniques, that were not being taught at UArts, so I began taking my studio classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the oldest art school in the United States. Looking back, I realize that since I had training as a classical musician, it made sense to learn a more disciplined, formal approach to art making.

Carla , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I began working on my series of oil paintings based on roller coaster structures in 2002 when I was a graduate student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. All my compositions are based on photos I take while riding in the front car of the coasters. This idea was inspired by the legend of 19th century English Romantic painter, J. M. W. Turner, who experienced a storm at sea while tied to the mast of a ship, so he could later capture that intensity in his paintings. To the casual viewer, my series depicts mere amusements, yet my underlying intention is that the roller coasters symbolize our journey on this planet. My paintings reflect the energy and complexity of our lives, as well as symbolize our desire to escape everyday reality, overcome our fears, and experience sheer exhilaration – living in the moment.

More than twenty years later, I am still making paintings based on my roller coaster rides, although my emphasis has shifted to nighttime imagery with light streams and fireworks bursting through darkened skies. I first included fireworks in my 2010 painting, California Screamin’ that featured an extreme drop of a nighttime ride. In the summer of 2021, to celebrate our reemergence into society from the pandemic, I decided to revisit the imagery of fireworks. I trace my attraction to lights shining through the darkness back to my childhood. I have vivid memories of riding in the backseat of our car at night, transfixed by the white and red car lights speeding by, as well as sitting on my father’s shoulders at a crowded Fourth of July fireworks display, mesmerized by the explosions of lights in the sky. This mystical quality of light emerging from darkness is at the core of my new work and symbolizes our true selves, providing glimpses of eternity – our connection with spirit.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In addition to being a painter, I have been teaching art for over three decades. In 2009, I received a Visual Artist/Educator Fellowship from the Dodge Foundation that funded my travel from New Jersey (where I was living) to visit Orange County and Los Angeles to photograph roller coasters at various amusement parks for my ongoing series. That trip to Southern California in 2009 planted a seed. I realized that relocating to this area could be the ideal move for my artistic practice because of the vital art scene in Los Angeles, combined with the amusement parks of SoCal that could provide endless subject matter for my studio work. Eight years later, I was excited to find an advisement for a position teaching drawing at Fullerton College (literally minutes away from Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm). I applied, was offered the position, accepted, and my life made a dramatic pivot from teaching high school in New Jersey to teaching college and living in Southern California! After relocating to Orange County in 2017, I began a new iteration of my Roller Coaster Series based on photographs of light streams taken while riding the West Coaster and Pacific Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier at night, resulting in a fusion of abstraction and realism. Happily, I recently had a solo show of my new paintings that I created after my move and am now represented by the Billis Williams Gallery in Los Angeles.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I see my creative work as a mystical journey that connects the complexities of our physical existence with the emotional/spiritual realm – albeit from a pop-culture perspective. Summers spent at the Jersey shore combined with my quirky sense of humor lead me to use roller coaster tracks as means to create movement and depth in my compositions — to take the viewer on a thrill ride through space and time. The mission of my artistic journey is never ending because it involves our insatiable quest for euphoric experiences, just to repeatedly discover their fleeting nature. My artwork freezes these brief, ecstatic moments so we can enjoy them a bit longer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carlafalb.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlafalb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carla.falb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlafalb
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carlafalb2199
• Other: http://www.billiswilliams.com/carla-falb.html