Veteran artist brings watercolors and whimsy to new exhibit

An artist with a passion for watercolor painting and whimsy will be featured by the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in October.

‘Self Portrait #2’ by artist Wayne Conyers is done in watercolor and ink. Photo provided

Wayne Conyers has participated in 185 exhibitions — local, national and international — in a career spanning nearly 50 years.

An opening reception for the artist will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at the museum.

Conyers is a director on the board of the Watercolor USA Honor Society and was the advance scout who recommended MHAM as the host of the Watercolor Now! Biennial Exhibit in 2018.

“I have been an artist my entire life,” said Conyers, of McPherson, Kansas, in a press release. “My passion is watercolor painting.

“I love the challenge of taking an initial concept, and then blending together bold color, spatial structure, a sense of whimsy, humor, surreal imagery and technical skill with the never ending search for personal meaning.”

An interest in theoretical physics has also become part of his process, according to Conyers, which he says can be seen in the humorous titles of work like the collage, “Still Searching for Weapons of Mass Creation.”

Paintings may take anywhere from six months to three years to complete, Conyers said.

The MHAM exhibit will include both watercolors and more recent explorations of oil and figure drawing.

Both have helped pull Conyers out of his comfort zone.

Conyers admits watercolors offered security, but at the invitation of a friend, he joined the Kansas Figure Drawing Group. It required drawing figures in timed, 20-minute intervals.

“I was forced to go from tight painting to loose and expressive drawing,” Conyers said, adding, “Another jump out of my nice, secure box this year was learning to paint portraits using oil paints.”

After a more than 40-year break from oils, Conyers says he has found a level of satisfaction in stepping back into the medium.

‘Music Dude’ by Wayne Conyers is an oil painting on canvas. Photo provided

Conyers also works in pottery.

He taught art for 44 years before retirement, 35 of those at McPherson College’s Visual Arts Department in McPherson.

Conyers has served since 2004 as an officer and board member for the Watercolor USA Honor Society.

“I love jurying exhibitions across a wide span of student shows to national shows,” he said. “I find the experience to be very rewarding and I never turn down the chance to be a juror of any exhibition at any level.”

In 2018, Conyers was awarded the title Professor Emeritus of Art from McPherson College, and in 2016-2017 he received the “Kansas Outstanding Higher Education Teacher” award from the Kansas Art Education Association.