Through the Lens

NEWTON-Photographs by Randall FitzGerald of Sandyston are currently being shown in two separate exhibits, one at PNC Bank, Route 94, in Blairstown, and the second at Newton Trust, Woodport Road, Sparta. Both exhibits, sponsored by the Sussex-Warren Arts Foundation, include images employing a variety of photographic techniques that focus on rural landscapes and natural resources. The two exhibits include more than twenty-five signed and numbered limited-edition prints. FitzGerald, who has pursued the art of photography for over 35 years, first began taking pictures when his brother returned from Vietnam with a simple 35mm. camera. Within a year, he realized that the images meant so much to him that he got a job in a camera shop sweeping the floors just so he could be near cameras. During his two years of employment there he acquired a supply of camera equipment and learned his craft. FitzGerald is a longtime Sussex County resident and holds a position on the faculty of Montclair State University where he teaches a number of classes in the environmental sciences. FitzGerald recently won first prize in the international travel photography competition sponsored by The Global Education Center and Montclair State University Art Galleries, with his image "Silken Sailboats" taken in Nova Scotia. His two current local exhibits, on view through the month of June, also include many of FitzGerald's other Nova Scotia scenes.