Review

"Fire in the Sky", Photographic Print.

Doug Whitney

6-10 p.m.
(Opening reception)

OneVillage a Community Church
5700 Nall
Roeland Park, KS
913.592.3974

By appointment after opening reception.
Runs through: Jan. 24

Artist's site: http://www.dprestonwhitney.com
Gallery site: http://www.onevillagekc.com

Doug Whitney spent the bulk of his working life looking at leaky faucets, clogged drains and rusty pipes. Small wonder that he sought out the beauty of nature when he got time away from the job.

Whitney, a former plumber, got into underwater photography (an outgrowth of his interest in scuba diving) in the 1970s. His landscape/wildlife work began in the 1980s. Since retiring a few years back, he has been indulging his passions for travel and photography in an ever-widening circle.

"I started going to places close by," he says. "Arkansas in the fall ... Colorado ... Utah. Eventually I got to where I could book a trip to Alaska, and then I got to go to Africa."

One thing Whitney hasn't done, though, is show his art anywhere but on his Web site.  That changes tonight, when the results  of his geographic and artistic explorations go on display at OneVillage a Community Church in Roeland Park.

(OneVillage usually holds its openings on the final Friday of each month, but next Friday is Christmas.)

"I’d say in the past 3-4 years I've been thinking about it, but I never have done it," says Whitney, who will share the gallery space tonight with painter Antonette Nicotera. "You have to have a lot framed up to put on display, and it’s a significant cost."

Fans of color -- intense, saturated, eye-popping color -- will be glad Whitney took the plunge.

Fire in the Sky, today's featured piece, is typical of his work. It's fairly glowing with natural light, which ramps up the color even further.

And because Whitney likes to travel in the off-season, he gets views peak-season shooters don't.

"I usually go in the early spring, the winter or fall -- after the families are gone," he says. "When I go somewhere, I do a lot of reading on it. I look at other photographers' work, get an idea of what they do -- not to copy their work but to get different angles. You have to use your eyes to see it in a different perspective."

Whitney's not finished seeing new places, either -- not if he has his way.

"I would like to go to Patagonia in South America," he says. "At some point, I’d like to go to Antarctica."

It's good to have something to look forward to ... and in the meantime, Whitney's first show offers plenty to enjoy in the here and now.

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