The sea has sung its irresistible siren song to British marine artist Roy Cross ever since his boyhood. When Cross was 15, he worked for a Thames shipping office, and became enamored with ships and the waters they sailed. Cross initially illustrated Air Force manuals and aviation publications during World War II. After the war, he illustrated model kit boxes, but felt constrained by commercial art. Pursuing marine painting, Cross was immediately successful with his dramatic, cloud-swept images of watercraft, and is still widely regarded as the premier painter of historical marine vessels.

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