ARTIST STATEMENT 2025
Since 2002, I have been creating paintings of roller coasters based on photos I take while riding in the front car. The adrenaline rush I experience is infused into my work – like a 21st century J.M.W. Turner tied to the mast of a ship witnessing a storm at sea. The first nighttime ride I painted was California Screamin’ in 2010. It featured the extreme drop of Disney California Adventure Park’s roller coaster, included in my previous show at Billis Williams Gallery. That painting became pivotal in my series, inspiring several subsequent bodies of work.
While creating California Screamin’, I realized that I loved painting lights streaming through the darkness and sought out other experiences that featured similar imagery . . . which led to a series of nightclub paintings. Like the roller coasters, the compositions are based on photos from my direct experience of the venues and dancers. 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 2023, I composed Ascension as an antithesis to the downward movement of California Screamin’. It is based on the same coaster, which was rebranded in 2018 as the Incredicoaster, and my painting features a track rising vertically to its summit. The blurry imagery suggests that the roller coaster is creating itself; a metaphor for manifesting thoughts into things. In addition, the HangTime paintings in this show were indirectly influenced by the fireworks in California Screamin’. On a helicopter ride to photograph the fireworks at Disneyland for future paintings, we flew over the Knotts Berry Farm theme park. The movement of the helicopter hovering over the HangTime rollercoaster resulted in curvilinear blue light streams of the tracks; the effect was ethereal.
Overall, the subject matter of my work is about escaping our day-to-day reality to experience altered states of consciousness. The roller coasters in my paintings symbolize our ride on this planet in our physical bodies. The light in my work represents our higher selves, our divine sparks, connected to one another in the unified field. This mystical quality of light emerging from darkness, traveling on a circuitous route through space and time, in our quest for ecstatic experience, is the driving force behind my work.
BIOGRAPHY
Carla Falb receive 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.
Since 2002, I have been creating paintings of roller coasters based on photos I take while riding in the front car. The adrenaline rush I experience is infused into my work – like a 21st century J.M.W. Turner tied to the mast of a ship witnessing a storm at sea. The first nighttime ride I painted was California Screamin’ in 2010. It featured the extreme drop of Disney California Adventure Park’s roller coaster, included in my previous show at Billis Williams Gallery. That painting became pivotal in my series, inspiring several subsequent bodies of work.
While creating California Screamin’, I realized that I loved painting lights streaming through the darkness and sought out other experiences that featured similar imagery . . . which led to a series of nightclub paintings. Like the roller coasters, the compositions are based on photos from my direct experience of the venues and dancers. 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 2023, I composed Ascension as an antithesis to the downward movement of California Screamin’. It is based on the same coaster, which was rebranded in 2018 as the Incredicoaster, and my painting features a track rising vertically to its summit. The blurry imagery suggests that the roller coaster is creating itself; a metaphor for manifesting thoughts into things. In addition, the HangTime paintings in this show were indirectly influenced by the fireworks in California Screamin’. On a helicopter ride to photograph the fireworks at Disneyland for future paintings, we flew over the Knotts Berry Farm theme park. The movement of the helicopter hovering over the HangTime rollercoaster resulted in curvilinear blue light streams of the tracks; the effect was ethereal.
Overall, the subject matter of my work is about escaping our day-to-day reality to experience altered states of consciousness. The roller coasters in my paintings symbolize our ride on this planet in our physical bodies. The light in my work represents our higher selves, our divine sparks, connected to one another in the unified field. This mystical quality of light emerging from darkness, traveling on a circuitous route through space and time, in our quest for ecstatic experience, is the driving force behind my work.
BIOGRAPHY
Carla Falb receive 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.
RESUME
EDUCATION
2003 MFA Painting: The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1983 BFA Liberal Arts Major, Art Education: Philadelphia College of Art
1983 Certificate in Fine Arts, Painting: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
SOLO & SMALL GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Life in the Vast Lane, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Sky Lights, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Euphoria! Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ Alumni Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2011 2011 Exhibit 5, four-person exhibition, Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM
2007 Spinning Worlds, two-person exhibition, Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ
2003 University of the Arts Thesis Exhibition, four-person exhibition, Gallery Siano, Phila., PA
1987 Into the Light, Belanthi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College, CA
2024 More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2024 The Cityscape Show XIV: L.A.ndscape, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII: Close to Home, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Hang Time: Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2022 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA
2021 Hope & Possibility: Benefit Exhibition for Tools for School and Education Works, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2021 Group Exhibition, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
2020 Faculty Biennial Online, Fullerton College, CA
2020 Into the Light, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2019 Salon at the Triton Statewide 2-D Competition and Exhibition, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA
2019 LA Open 2019, TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College Gallery, CA
2018 Into the Light: Benefit Exhibition for Friends of the Rail Park, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 2017 International Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ
2017 Spiritus Lumine, Summer Group Exhibition at Dacia Gallery, New York, NY
2017 60th Chautauqua Annual Exhibition, Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, Chautauqua, NY
2016 Studio Montclair's 19th Annual Exhibit: ViewPoints 2016, Aljira: Contemporary Art Center, Newark, NJ
2015 Old Enough to Known Better, Crane Arts, Gallery 105, Philadelphia, PA
2015 International Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ
2015 Small Matters of Great Importance 2015, Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, NY
2015 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2015 The 116th Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
2015 4th Annual National Show: The Figure, East End Arts, Riverhead, NY
2015 National Juried Exhibition, First Street Gallery, New York, NY
2010 7th Annual International Juried Exhibition, The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, Long Branch, NJ
2010 24th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit. NJ
2009 From Here to There, Arts Council of the Morris Area, Morristown, NJ
2008 22nd International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
2007 Blank Canvas Benefit, Invitational Exhibit & Auction: Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit, NJ
2006 20th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
2006 Viridian Artists 17th National Juried Exhibition, New York, NY
2006 National Juried Exhibition: Works of Art on Paper, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Long Beach, NJ
2006 15th National Juried Show, Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2005 Audubon Artists 63rd Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2005 SUMFA 10 10th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Exhibition, The National Arts Club, Gregg Galleries, NY
2004 Ellarslie Open XXII, The Trenton City Museum, NJ
2004 Viridian Artists 15th National Juried Exhibition, New York, NY
2003 21st Annual Juried Exhibition, Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Six Degrees in Cold Storage, CAA MFA Exhibit, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2001 Works in Progress, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2000 Works in Progress, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1994 Annual Piccolo Spoleto Juried Exhibition, Charleston's Visitor Center, SC
1990 Art 1990 Charleston, Piccolo Spoleto, Tidwell Slavens Gallery, Charleston, SC
1988 Seascapes In Sight In Sound, benefit for Marine Mammal Stranding Center & Composers Guild of NJ, Beach Haven & Cape May, NJ
1984-93 Represented by the Belanthi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
BIBLIOGRAPHY / MEDIA
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self Care, Bold Journey. November 28, 2023.
Meet Carla Falb, Canvas Rebel. September 7, 2023.
Carla Falb/Painter & Professor Interview, Shout Out SoCal. May 27, 2020.
Thought Provokers Interview, SDVoyager. October 24, 2018.
Samantha Mondonado, “Old Enough to Know Better at Crane Arts.” Broad Street Review. November 20, 2015.
Drew Moss, “RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor Features Women Painting Women.” Long Island Pulse. Sept. 25, 2015.
Interview, Fresh Paint Magazine. Issue 8, July 2015.
Pat Johnson, “Carla Falb Paints Final Roller Coaster for Sandy Relief.” The Sandpaper. August 21, 2013.
Alex Biese, “Jet Star Painting a Symbol of Sandy.” Asbury Park Press. July 21, 2013.
New American Paintings, 15 Years. Open Studios Press, 2009.
Ralph J. Bellantoni, “Warren Artist has Fun Time Turning Roller Coasters into Art.” Courier News [Central Jersey] February 8, 2007.
Linda Reddington, “What Goes Around . . . Spinning Worlds: Emerging Artists Thrill at Noyes.” Ocean County Observer [Ocean County, NJ] January 24, 2007.
“Color, Energy at Noyes: ‘Spinning Worlds’ Exhibit,” featuring “Medusa Storm” on the cover. Art Scene NJ [Southern New Jersey] January -- February 2007.
Family Gallery Guide. International Juried Show 2006, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, February 2006.
SUMFA 10: Celebrating the First Ten Years. The University of the Arts, June 2005.
Notre Dame Review. “Nitro” -- cover illustration. Number 18, Summer 2004.
New American Paintings, MidAtlantic Region. Open Studios Press, #51 May 2004.
Robert E. Novit, "Unmasking Artistic Talent." Press and Standard [Colleton County, SC] July 15, 1997.
Dennis Wepman, "The Powerful Visions of Carla Schultz." ArtSpeak [New York, NY] June 1, 1987.
AWARDS/RESIDENCIES
2019 Honorable Mention: LA Open, TAG Gallery Los Angeles, CA
2013 Associate Artist: Atlantic Center for the Arts, 150th Residency, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
2010 Honorable Mention: 24th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
2009 Grant Recipient: Dodge Foundation Fellowship for Artists/Educators, Morristown, NJ
2005 The Elisha Turner Award for Graphics: Audubon Artists 63rd Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2005 2nd Place in Drawing: Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Exhibition, The National Arts Club, Gregg Galleries, New York, NY
2004 Trenton Artist Workshop Award for Drawing: Ellarslie Open XXII, Trenton City Museum, NJ
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Clark Hill Law Firm, Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Collection, Philadelphia, PA
Aramark Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
2003 MFA Painting: The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1983 BFA Liberal Arts Major, Art Education: Philadelphia College of Art
1983 Certificate in Fine Arts, Painting: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
SOLO & SMALL GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Life in the Vast Lane, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Sky Lights, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Euphoria! Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ Alumni Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2011 2011 Exhibit 5, four-person exhibition, Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM
2007 Spinning Worlds, two-person exhibition, Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ
2003 University of the Arts Thesis Exhibition, four-person exhibition, Gallery Siano, Phila., PA
1987 Into the Light, Belanthi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College, CA
2024 More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
2024 The Cityscape Show XIV: L.A.ndscape, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 The Cityscape Show XIII: Close to Home, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Hang Time: Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2022 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA
2021 Hope & Possibility: Benefit Exhibition for Tools for School and Education Works, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2021 Group Exhibition, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
2020 Faculty Biennial Online, Fullerton College, CA
2020 Into the Light, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2019 Salon at the Triton Statewide 2-D Competition and Exhibition, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA
2019 LA Open 2019, TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Faculty Biennial, Fullerton College Gallery, CA
2018 Into the Light: Benefit Exhibition for Friends of the Rail Park, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2017 2017 International Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ
2017 Spiritus Lumine, Summer Group Exhibition at Dacia Gallery, New York, NY
2017 60th Chautauqua Annual Exhibition, Fowler-Kellogg Art Center, Chautauqua, NY
2016 Studio Montclair's 19th Annual Exhibit: ViewPoints 2016, Aljira: Contemporary Art Center, Newark, NJ
2015 Old Enough to Known Better, Crane Arts, Gallery 105, Philadelphia, PA
2015 International Juried Exhibition, The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ
2015 Small Matters of Great Importance 2015, Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, NY
2015 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
2015 The 116th Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
2015 4th Annual National Show: The Figure, East End Arts, Riverhead, NY
2015 National Juried Exhibition, First Street Gallery, New York, NY
2010 7th Annual International Juried Exhibition, The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts, Long Branch, NJ
2010 24th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit. NJ
2009 From Here to There, Arts Council of the Morris Area, Morristown, NJ
2008 22nd International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
2007 Blank Canvas Benefit, Invitational Exhibit & Auction: Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit, NJ
2006 20th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, NJ
2006 Viridian Artists 17th National Juried Exhibition, New York, NY
2006 National Juried Exhibition: Works of Art on Paper, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Long Beach, NJ
2006 15th National Juried Show, Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
2005 Audubon Artists 63rd Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2005 SUMFA 10 10th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Exhibition, The National Arts Club, Gregg Galleries, NY
2004 Ellarslie Open XXII, The Trenton City Museum, NJ
2004 Viridian Artists 15th National Juried Exhibition, New York, NY
2003 21st Annual Juried Exhibition, Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Six Degrees in Cold Storage, CAA MFA Exhibit, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2001 Works in Progress, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2000 Works in Progress, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1994 Annual Piccolo Spoleto Juried Exhibition, Charleston's Visitor Center, SC
1990 Art 1990 Charleston, Piccolo Spoleto, Tidwell Slavens Gallery, Charleston, SC
1988 Seascapes In Sight In Sound, benefit for Marine Mammal Stranding Center & Composers Guild of NJ, Beach Haven & Cape May, NJ
1984-93 Represented by the Belanthi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
BIBLIOGRAPHY / MEDIA
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self Care, Bold Journey. November 28, 2023.
Meet Carla Falb, Canvas Rebel. September 7, 2023.
Carla Falb/Painter & Professor Interview, Shout Out SoCal. May 27, 2020.
Thought Provokers Interview, SDVoyager. October 24, 2018.
Samantha Mondonado, “Old Enough to Know Better at Crane Arts.” Broad Street Review. November 20, 2015.
Drew Moss, “RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor Features Women Painting Women.” Long Island Pulse. Sept. 25, 2015.
Interview, Fresh Paint Magazine. Issue 8, July 2015.
Pat Johnson, “Carla Falb Paints Final Roller Coaster for Sandy Relief.” The Sandpaper. August 21, 2013.
Alex Biese, “Jet Star Painting a Symbol of Sandy.” Asbury Park Press. July 21, 2013.
New American Paintings, 15 Years. Open Studios Press, 2009.
Ralph J. Bellantoni, “Warren Artist has Fun Time Turning Roller Coasters into Art.” Courier News [Central Jersey] February 8, 2007.
Linda Reddington, “What Goes Around . . . Spinning Worlds: Emerging Artists Thrill at Noyes.” Ocean County Observer [Ocean County, NJ] January 24, 2007.
“Color, Energy at Noyes: ‘Spinning Worlds’ Exhibit,” featuring “Medusa Storm” on the cover. Art Scene NJ [Southern New Jersey] January -- February 2007.
Family Gallery Guide. International Juried Show 2006, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, February 2006.
SUMFA 10: Celebrating the First Ten Years. The University of the Arts, June 2005.
Notre Dame Review. “Nitro” -- cover illustration. Number 18, Summer 2004.
New American Paintings, MidAtlantic Region. Open Studios Press, #51 May 2004.
Robert E. Novit, "Unmasking Artistic Talent." Press and Standard [Colleton County, SC] July 15, 1997.
Dennis Wepman, "The Powerful Visions of Carla Schultz." ArtSpeak [New York, NY] June 1, 1987.
AWARDS/RESIDENCIES
2019 Honorable Mention: LA Open, TAG Gallery Los Angeles, CA
2013 Associate Artist: Atlantic Center for the Arts, 150th Residency, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
2010 Honorable Mention: 24th International Juried Show, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
2009 Grant Recipient: Dodge Foundation Fellowship for Artists/Educators, Morristown, NJ
2005 The Elisha Turner Award for Graphics: Audubon Artists 63rd Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY
2005 2nd Place in Drawing: Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Exhibition, The National Arts Club, Gregg Galleries, New York, NY
2004 Trenton Artist Workshop Award for Drawing: Ellarslie Open XXII, Trenton City Museum, NJ
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Clark Hill Law Firm, Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Collection, Philadelphia, PA
Aramark Corporation, Philadelphia, PA