With no formal art training prior to his retirement, Wayne took one pen and ink class in February 2004. Overnight he discovered a God-given gift. “I’m not so amazed when I’m actually working on a drawing.” says Wayne. “It’s later on, sometime after it’s all finished, that I look at it and think, ‘Who did this?’ Sometimes I can almost sit back and watch my hand at work.”

Borrowing a phrase from Madeleine L’Engle, Wayne calls himself “a co-creator with Christ.” Carrying a camera with him everywhere he goes, he finds that “God and I do our best planning on my bike rides.” The subjects for Wayne’s pieces are drawn from images of lighthouses, wild flowers, and landscapes which he photographs. He likes to combine the elements from various photos to create his drawings. A touch of color on each black and white picture has become his trademark.

An avid restaurant-doodler, Wayne now says the urge to draw on paper napkins, tablecloths and place mats has been curbed. “I have sketched and doodled all of my life and had often wanted to take art classes. I began the pen and ink drawings as a hobby, not a vocation for personal profit.”

Having taught middle school and community college math in Crescent City, California for more than 40 years, Wayne has touched the lives of many. He and his wife Kathy, also a retired teacher, hope to continue encouraging children by donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Acrewood Art™ to outreach programs for children. “I don’t know how many of my friends have ‘adopted’ my parents!” laughs Debbi, Wayne and Kathy’s younger daughter. Her sister Tami agrees, “It seems that the more kids there are to love, the more love Mom and Dad have to give.”