We who live on this planet that we call earth easily forget that about 70% of the earths surface is covered by water. The sea is everywhere and such a huge part of human existence. Truly the lands we live on are massive islands surrounded by the enormity of the sea. American artist Winslow Homer seascapes were some of the greatest paintings to capture the essence of the new England east coast, using a broad and powerful view. Winslow Homers oil painting On a Lee Shore shows how Homers entire life helped him come to focus on a central theme of the peril of the sea and the drama of mans battle with the sea. It took a whole life of art work and themes to come to homers finale focus, the relationship with nature. Homer was able to portray a new view point of the sea on his canvas. The sea has always been a very important part of human history. It has been a major part of life since the beginning of mankind. The sea can be beautiful dangerous and powerful. The seas great size makes it a very mysterious place. The Sea can be a dangerous force and can make humans realize that there just a small speck on the earths surface. As americans our ancestors once crossed the sea to get to this country. The sea dictated where several major cities were formed because it was a vital resource for development. The sea not only effected the development of the city but also effected the minds of those who live there. This is definitely true to Winslow homer. For new England and the east coast the sea was an extremely important part of life. Homer was born in Boston in 1836. Boston was one of the biggest seaports in the us at the time. Homer remained a new englander his whole life. Homers passion for the earths waters came to him partially because of his family. Both his fathers and mothers sides were involved in the trade of goods overseas. It is not clear how much time of homers childhood was actually spent on the water. However his passion for the sea is evident in all his paintings. His ability to carefully portray ships and anything that has to do with the sea proves that he had some background knowledge on the matter. Most of his drawings are of the outdoors and of nature. Although Most of homers paintings focus on the outdoors and humans in nature, seascapes seemed to become the major theme for homers artistic life. Homer depicts the men who work and live on and by the water. He learned to draw by being in the nature, observing it and recording what he saw. Homer was for the most part self taught. As his life progressed the more observing he did and it helped his style grow. Homer chose not to follow in his brothers footsteps going to Harvard to study. He knew from a young age that art was what interested and inspired him. While Homer was still living in Boston his father set up him up to be an apprentice to john h bufford, the head of one of Boston's greatest lithography firms of the day. Learning lithography jumpstarted homers artistic abilities. Homers career in art started with illustrating covers for music sheets. As time progressed and homers skills got stronger he was able to take on more exciting works. He moved on to doing pictorial wood engravings that showed his ability to show great characterization and use of lights and darks. This may have helped homer be able to comprehend waves as shapes of lights and darks. One of Homer’s drawings was accepted into harpers weekly, an American political magazine based in New York. He later decided to move to the NYC to be at the center of the art world. Home