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CARLA FALB
SKY LIGHTS February 25 - March 25, 2023 Artist Reception: Saturday, February 25, 2023, 4-7pm |
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Billis Williams Gallery is pleased to present Carla Falb: Sky Lights, the gallery's first solo exhibition of the Southern California artist’s paintings. The exhibition features Falb’s fireworks series and continues through March 25th.
Carla Falb can trace her attraction to light emerging from the darkness back to her childhood. Memories of riding in the backseat of the family car at night, sleepy after a weekend at the beach, transfixed by the white and red car lights speeding by; memories of sitting on her father’s shoulders at a crowded Fourth of July fireworks display, mesmerized by the explosions of lights in the sky; memories of Christmas Eve midnight services with her father at the pulpit, encouraging a full congregation to hold up their glowing candles with extended arms to light up a dark church. The symbolism of light overcoming darkness became a powerful force from an early age.
This mystical quality of light from darkness is at the core of Falb’s work. The fireworks are celebratory and the light streams are experienced in a euphoric state on amusement park rides, but the light in Falb’s painting also symbolizes the undying spirit, the true self. Falb writes, “An explosion of light – the Big Bang, created our universe; at birth we are thrust into light; during meditation, we experience illumination from within; and near-death experiences often involve a bright light at the end of a tunnel… We are inseparable from the light.” Lighting up the skies in celebration lifts us out of our mundane reality and connects us on a multitude of levels from the personal to the universal.
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.
ARTIST STATEMENT 2023
Moving from New Jersey to Southern California in 2018 was transformative. I had been painting roller coaster structures since 2002, based on photos I took from the front car of the rides. Soon after the move, I went to the Santa Monica Pier at night to capture new images. Later as I worked with the photos, I realized I was more fascinated with the light streaming across the sky than the rides, and the emphasis in my work shifted. While the light in my paintings has always been important, now it takes the starring role: a fusion of abstraction and realism, providing glimpses of eternity – our connection with spirit.
I first included fireworks in my 2010 painting, California Screamin’ that featured the extreme drop of Disney California Adventure Park’s roller coaster at night. To celebrate our emergence back into society in the summer of 2021, a few years after I began focusing on light streams, I decided to revisit the imagery of fireworks.
I can trace my attraction to light emerging from the darkness back to my childhood. Riding in the backseat of the car at night, sleepy after a weekend at the beach, transfixed by the white and red car lights speeding by. Sitting on my father’s shoulders at a crowded Fourth of July fireworks display, mesmerized by the explosions of lights in the sky. Christmas Eve midnight services with my father at the pulpit, encouraging a full congregation to hold up their glowing candles with extended arms to light up a dark church. The symbolism of light overcoming darkness was instilled in me at an early age.
This mystical quality of light from darkness is at the core of my work. Yes, the fireworks are celebratory, and the light streams are experienced in a euphoric state on amusement park rides, but for me, the light in my painting symbolizes our undying spirit, our true self. An explosion of light – the Big Bang, created our universe; at birth we are thrust into light; during meditation, we experience illumination from within; and near-death experiences often involve a bright light at the end of a tunnel.
Sky light celebrations lift us out of our mundane reality, connecting us to our own essence as well as each other. We are inseparable from the light.
Carla Falb can trace her attraction to light emerging from the darkness back to her childhood. Memories of riding in the backseat of the family car at night, sleepy after a weekend at the beach, transfixed by the white and red car lights speeding by; memories of sitting on her father’s shoulders at a crowded Fourth of July fireworks display, mesmerized by the explosions of lights in the sky; memories of Christmas Eve midnight services with her father at the pulpit, encouraging a full congregation to hold up their glowing candles with extended arms to light up a dark church. The symbolism of light overcoming darkness became a powerful force from an early age.
This mystical quality of light from darkness is at the core of Falb’s work. The fireworks are celebratory and the light streams are experienced in a euphoric state on amusement park rides, but the light in Falb’s painting also symbolizes the undying spirit, the true self. Falb writes, “An explosion of light – the Big Bang, created our universe; at birth we are thrust into light; during meditation, we experience illumination from within; and near-death experiences often involve a bright light at the end of a tunnel… We are inseparable from the light.” Lighting up the skies in celebration lifts us out of our mundane reality and connects us on a multitude of levels from the personal to the universal.
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.
ARTIST STATEMENT 2023
Moving from New Jersey to Southern California in 2018 was transformative. I had been painting roller coaster structures since 2002, based on photos I took from the front car of the rides. Soon after the move, I went to the Santa Monica Pier at night to capture new images. Later as I worked with the photos, I realized I was more fascinated with the light streaming across the sky than the rides, and the emphasis in my work shifted. While the light in my paintings has always been important, now it takes the starring role: a fusion of abstraction and realism, providing glimpses of eternity – our connection with spirit.
I first included fireworks in my 2010 painting, California Screamin’ that featured the extreme drop of Disney California Adventure Park’s roller coaster at night. To celebrate our emergence back into society in the summer of 2021, a few years after I began focusing on light streams, I decided to revisit the imagery of fireworks.
I can trace my attraction to light emerging from the darkness back to my childhood. Riding in the backseat of the car at night, sleepy after a weekend at the beach, transfixed by the white and red car lights speeding by. Sitting on my father’s shoulders at a crowded Fourth of July fireworks display, mesmerized by the explosions of lights in the sky. Christmas Eve midnight services with my father at the pulpit, encouraging a full congregation to hold up their glowing candles with extended arms to light up a dark church. The symbolism of light overcoming darkness was instilled in me at an early age.
This mystical quality of light from darkness is at the core of my work. Yes, the fireworks are celebratory, and the light streams are experienced in a euphoric state on amusement park rides, but for me, the light in my painting symbolizes our undying spirit, our true self. An explosion of light – the Big Bang, created our universe; at birth we are thrust into light; during meditation, we experience illumination from within; and near-death experiences often involve a bright light at the end of a tunnel.
Sky light celebrations lift us out of our mundane reality, connecting us to our own essence as well as each other. We are inseparable from the light.
VIEW EXHIBITION
Billis Williams Gallery presents emerging to mid-career artists with a focus on painting and is dedicated to exhibiting exceptional work in richly varied visual vocabularies ranging from abstraction to photorealism. After establishing a successful contemporary gallery in New York in 1997, George Billis opened George Billis Gallery Los Angeles in 2004. Tressa Williams joined as director in 2009 and became the managing partner in 2021. Billis Williams Gallery builds on the Billis legacy and shows emerging to mid-career artists with a special focus on Southern California painters.
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com