|
 Born
and raised in Northwestern New Mexico, Chauncey Homer
(B. 1966) grew up in a rural environment where elements
of the Old West still prevailed. Raised in a close-knit
family, Chauncey's boyhood chores included helping with
the garden and the animals. He developed a love for
drawing at a young age and used western comic books,
such as The Rawhide Kid and The Two-Gun Kid, as references
for his sketches. He recalls: "I remember spending
hours in painful determination trying to get the facial
features to look just like they did in my reference."
As a teen he continued drawing, using Conan comics and
Frazetta art as inspiration.
During
his years of study in the mid-1990s, he graduated from
the Art Center of Tucson and studied with Ron Riddick,
whom he credits with being an important influence in
his developing style. For the first six months as Riddick's
student, "a ll
students would produce value paintings using only five
values with burnt umber and white." The reliance
on sound principles versus technique has been critical
in the development of Chauncey's style thus far. He
also credits Natalie Riddick for her support and the
knowledge she has shared with him.
The
rural Western environment and a passion for getting
the details right lead Chauncey to an artistic style
that, although it is still evolving, he describes as
"mysterious realism." While clearly influenced
by a variety of schools, what shows through most strongly
in his work is Classical Realism. Yet the quality of
softness in the lighting of his paintings suggests the
influence of Impressionism. Chauncey cites Sargent,
Zorn, Sorolla, Repin, and Bastin-LePage as among his
favorite artists.
Perhaps
it is best to conclude with the artist's own words:
"I want to depict the subtle beauty in simple,
everyday moments. I'm not interested in dramatic vistas
or postcard-perfect settings. I find my inspiration
in the things most other artists pass up." |
