Born and raised in Northwestern New Mexico, Chauncey Homer 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, "all 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."