Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to present Objects of Desire: Flowers of the World, an exhibition of photographs by Richard Lear. The exhibition will be on display during the month of September, and the public is invited to meet the artist at a reception on Saturday, September 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. [No sign-up is necessary.]
Richard Lear, a resident of Plainfield, New Jersey, has traveled the world looking for extraordinary flowers to photograph. In his lens, he has found beauty as well as abstraction from New Jersey to Fiji. “Since the flower is one of nature’s most perfect and unique gifts,” he says he finds that it makes the ideal subject. “It brings joy and laughter, and brightens the darkest of days. The magnitude of color is always awe-inspiring,” he adds.
Mr. Lear has put himself in some very precarious situations to get just the right shot with his macro lens. Once he had his partner sit on his legs so he could hang over a body of water to reach the perfect water lily; another time he hung upside down over a second story balcony to capture a unique flower he had never seen before. “I never knew life could be joyful, exciting and calm all at once until I picked up my camera for the first time and tried to capture the beauty that had been before me my entire life,” he said.
Growing up in the Ozark National Forest made Mr. Lear aware of the beauty that surrounds us all on a daily basis. He moved from the forests of Arkansas, first to Los Angeles and then to Manhattan before finally settling in New Jersey. Even in those urban environments he has always had the ability to find something extraordinary to observe in his surroundings. Forced to vacate his apartment due to the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, he realized that life was too precious to waste and decided that he shouldn’t wait to do the things he desired.
It was his scuba certification and underwater photography that taught him he had an eye for composition. That and the love of flowers he shared with his father brought him to the collection he has been working on for some time. Letting the wind and his camera take him where they may, Mr. Lear has shot flowers in Fiji, Saba, the Netherlands Antilles, Honduras and Bonaire to name a few of the more exotic locations. He also will present images from New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma as well. “I try so very hard to present something that brings the viewers in and captivates them. At the same time, sharing the joy that I feel while shooting these precious gems brings me tremendous satisfaction.”
The show will be on view in the library’s Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.
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PHOTO: Golden Chalice by Richard Lear
Richard Lear, a resident of Plainfield, New Jersey, has traveled the world looking for extraordinary flowers to photograph. In his lens, he has found beauty as well as abstraction from New Jersey to Fiji. “Since the flower is one of nature’s most perfect and unique gifts,” he says he finds that it makes the ideal subject. “It brings joy and laughter, and brightens the darkest of days. The magnitude of color is always awe-inspiring,” he adds.
Mr. Lear has put himself in some very precarious situations to get just the right shot with his macro lens. Once he had his partner sit on his legs so he could hang over a body of water to reach the perfect water lily; another time he hung upside down over a second story balcony to capture a unique flower he had never seen before. “I never knew life could be joyful, exciting and calm all at once until I picked up my camera for the first time and tried to capture the beauty that had been before me my entire life,” he said.
Growing up in the Ozark National Forest made Mr. Lear aware of the beauty that surrounds us all on a daily basis. He moved from the forests of Arkansas, first to Los Angeles and then to Manhattan before finally settling in New Jersey. Even in those urban environments he has always had the ability to find something extraordinary to observe in his surroundings. Forced to vacate his apartment due to the World Trade Center disaster in 2001, he realized that life was too precious to waste and decided that he shouldn’t wait to do the things he desired.
It was his scuba certification and underwater photography that taught him he had an eye for composition. That and the love of flowers he shared with his father brought him to the collection he has been working on for some time. Letting the wind and his camera take him where they may, Mr. Lear has shot flowers in Fiji, Saba, the Netherlands Antilles, Honduras and Bonaire to name a few of the more exotic locations. He also will present images from New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma as well. “I try so very hard to present something that brings the viewers in and captivates them. At the same time, sharing the joy that I feel while shooting these precious gems brings me tremendous satisfaction.”
The show will be on view in the library’s Community Room during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.
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PHOTO: Golden Chalice by Richard Lear
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