Art school had to wait for quite a long time though. In the meantime he worked at the local shoe factory and studied piano. Eventually, Wayne was drafted into the army in 1964 where he took basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri and then was stationed at Fort Monroe, Virginia for the remainder of his time. There he met his first ture love and together they visited New York City. The two agreed to return to NYC after getting out of the army and live together. However, Wayne was discharged first and he returned home  to Jefferson City, Missouri. His army friend visited Wayne when he got out and then went on to his home in Carmel, California and they never fulfilled their plans. Wayne finally did what was expected of him when he met a kindred spirit and in 1966 and married. One year later they had a daughter.

Wayne only made art occasionally during these years. Wayne and his family moved to a 240 acre farm where the wife of his landlord, who was an artist herself, saw some of Wayne’s work and thought it was quite good and she encouraged Wayne to consider going to art school. He applied to the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) where his former high school art teacher had gone and was accepted.

Wayne received his Bachelor of Arts degree at KCAI and then applied and was accepted at the Mount Royal School of Painting in Baltimore which is a part of the Maryland Institute, Collage of Art. He received his Masters of Fine Art there and soon after graduation the Snellens moved to New York City.

Wayne had always painted from nature and in college (art school) from the figure. However, during his years in Baltimore he began to paint in a more abstract non-objective manner even while still drawing extensively from the figure which he considers essential for a good artist.

In NYC Wayne continued to paint sporadically. He became involved in the Artist’s Talk On Art panel series group in1984. In his first years in NYC he remembers going to the Leslie-Lohman Gallery on Broome Street which had a large gay following.

Wayne continued to make art but there were great dry periods lasting months after which he would start painting feverishly for a brief period before stopping again. During this period Wayne became interested in the figure again and for a brief period Wayne attended life-drawing sessions in the studio of Charles Bell that was specifically for gay male artists. They would draw from the male model and have pot luck dinner and talk.

After 19 years of marriage Wayne’s wife, decided to leave since it was clear that Wayne was becoming more and more open about his being gay. The separation was amicable and they still remain good friends. Wayne’s daughter is now married and has made Wayne a proud grandfather three over.

Eventually Wayne found the basement gallery of the Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation (LLGAF) on Prince Street in 1992. There he volunteered his services. 

During this period Wayne fell in love with a young man who followed him home after an opening (his second true love). The relationship was a difficult one lasting nearly five years.

Working at LLGAF revitalized his interest in art and the male figure again and he began exhibiting and painting more regularly. In 1993 he learned about a group of lesbian and gay artists simply called the ArtGroup which he promptly joined. He began to exhibit extensively with this group of artists.

After the resignation of the director of LLGAF in 1994 Wayne was asked to take the position. He agreed and has been director there since January 1, 1995

A year after the breakup, Wayne's second true love, he met his third true love, a Japanese man, at Marie's Crisis (a piano bar) and they remained in a relationship, again, for five years (what is it about five years?).

Wayne lives two short blocks from the World Trade Center and the tragedy of 9/11 not only saw the destruction of the World Trade Center but also the breakup of his relationship with his third true love. Needless to say, that was a very difficult time. But a sustaining theme throughout this time has been his membership in a group called, The Queer Men's Erotic Drawing Workshop at LLGAF. It has enabled Wayne to begin drawing from a live model again and to concentrate his efforts on recovering from a deep depression left by both of the aforementioned events.

In the meantime, Wayne continues to sharpened his curatorial skills at LLGAF and also continues to draw, paint and exhibit.

And to wait for that next one true love...(the fourth and final?)...not yet.