I recently found a couple of talented watercolorists at the 53rd Mid Winter Art Fair at the Ward Parkway Shopping Center in Kansas City, MO.

This year’s Mid Winter Ward Parkway Art Fair was well-attended.

Phil Schmidt and Denny Dowdy both have been painting for several years, and neither is a stranger to Kansas City or this show. Both are masters of their demanding medium, and both have excellent websites where you can see much more of their work (see embedded links). 

Denny Dowdy’s V-Highway Creek brilliantly demonstrates his command of the transparent watercolor medium.

Not surprisingly for watercolorists based in the Kansas City area, both men have been attracted to natural subjects. Dowdy seem more attuned to natural landscapes and river scenes. 

Same Creek-Different Place gives another virtuoso demonstration of Denny Dowdy’s mastery of watercolor.

Schmidt is more drawn to wildlife (though natural beauty-spots form the background for most of his paintings).

Phil Schmidt captures a blue heron and its riverbank home, in his luminous painting Invasion of Privacy.

Schmidt’s love of flying things extends beyond birds. He also has an entire collection of aviation subjects. 

Watch Your Six is a great example of Schmidt’s aviation imagery, and also demonstrates his ability to compose dynamic action.

And you’ll miss a treat if you don’t also take a good look at Schmidt’s nautical subjects. 

Phil Schmidt’s flair for the dynamic surfaces with gusto in Hold on Tight.

Dowdy prefers subjects that move around less. In addition to his paintings of natural subjects, he also offers thoughtful images that turn relatively mundane architecture into objects of interest and beauty.

In Balconies, Dowdy uses rhythm and skill to portray a mundane subject in a pensive, lyrical way.
Asymmetrical balance and well-chosen details give Dowdy’s Missouri Farmhouse an almost mystical feel.

As noted above, both painters have excellent websites with large galleries of images to explore. Both also exhibit their work in shows all over the Midwest. Please consult the calendars on their websites for more details.

IMAGES: The photo of the crowd and artists’ displays at the 2016 Mid Winter Ward Parkway Art Fair is by Jan S. Gephardt (taken 2/14/16). Many thanks to the Watercolors by Denny Dowdy website for the photos of his paintings, and to the Phil Schmidt Watercolors website for the photos of his paintings.