A conversation with artist and builder Chris Williamson
In a world where art often races toward the next trend, Chris Williamson walks a different path—layering patience, process, and raw creativity into everything he touches. From darkroom film photography to custom stonework, sculptural structures, and otherworldly metal prints, Chris’s work defies definition while remaining deeply grounded.
Diane from OHM Yeah sat down with Chris to talk about growing up creative, navigating the gritty streets of ’90s Haverhill, and how years of vision and craftsmanship finally coalesced into his series Mod Creations, now featured on OHM Yeah.
PAST: On Roots and Grit
Diane (OHM Yeah): Let’s start with a vibe check—how are you feeling creatively these days?
Chris: Feeling pretty good. It’s been a steady evolution of working in one realm and then on to the next. I’m seeing how dreams can come true, even when they’re a faraway hope. The big creative project lately has been figuring out balance—how to NOT get stuck, how to keep the flow going, how to bring each intention into form while staying open to what we’re really here to do. The creations don’t feel like they’re just coming from me anymore—it’s more about planting seeds and seeing what grows from intention, thought, and expression.
Diane: You’ve said you’ve always been a “kid creator.” What would 10-year-old Chris say about the work you’re doing now?
Chris: I think the 10-year-old me would be thrilled. I was always a sandbox and LEGO kid, so working with hardscapes and designing these unique little structures feels like an evolution of that play. I’m staying true to that inner kid—just building on a bigger scale now.
Diane: Haverhill in the late ’90s sounds like an untamed creative zone. What was the energy like then, and how did it shape your work?
Chris: It was wild. Haverhill, MA, at that time, felt like a city stuck between its industrial past and an undeveloped future. There were vacant mills, trash blowing down the streets—it was raw and uninfluenced. That neutrality gave you a kind of creative freedom. You could just go internal and make your own rules. I had a huge 5,000-square-foot space I shared with an industrial designer and an illustrator. Those were the days
PROCESS: From Film to Mod Creations
Diane: Your evolution from 35mm to large format film is fascinating. What pulled you toward 4×5?
Chris: Ansel Adams, hands down. His work really got me into large format. I wanted to print big and with great detail, and back then, that meant 4×5 film. Slowing down the process was challenging at first, but it taught me patience.
Diane: You once described using a 4×5 viewfinder as a kind of meditation. Do you have any creative rituals now?
Chris: Honestly, the stillness has mostly disappeared. Life’s turned into dynamic chaos. I’m involved in a lot of areas now, and every day feels different, so there isn’t a single creative ritual anymore—just learning to ride the wave.
Diane: Do you have a favorite photo you developed in the darkroom?
Chris: Not one specific image, but I loved discovering different grain qualities in the film—dense textures, rich contrasts. Some films reproduced fabric details in a way that was almost hyper-real. That texture was magic to me.
Diane: Mod Creations is the result of a layered process—film, scan, digital. What was it like seeing one of those early negatives fully realized?
Chris: Honestly, it was thrilling. Some of the first tests blew me away. I’m now printing them on metal—some on bare metal, others on coated white—and they really grab attention when you hang them up. Most people haven’t seen anything like them before.
INSPIRATION: Seeing Through Layers
Diane: Do everyday moments still inspire your work?
Chris: All the time. Lately, Facebook Marketplace has been my muse. I see random objects and think, “What could I build with that?” It sparks so many creative directions—especially with fabrication and design.
Diane: Any artists or visionaries who shaped the way you see?
Chris: Definitely Ansel Adams. For architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright. And Maxfield Parrish’s dreamscapes really stuck with me—they’re so atmospheric and surreal.
PHILOSOPHY & CONTRASTS
Diane: How did stepping into your first studio shift your artistic vision?
Chris: That first raw space was a big shift—it was 1998, and digital tools were just getting exciting. But digital photography was still too limited for what I wanted. I was aiming to create huge, wall-sized works, and the only way was with 4×5 film. I had access to a drum scanner and was already deep in Photoshop, so I could create these massive, detailed digital files. The vision back then was what you see now—these Mod Creations—but it literally took decades for printing technology to catch up. So what you see on OHM Yeah is really the final form of something I imagined 25 years ago.
Diane: You’ve explored so many mediums—photography, Jeep art, stone structures. What connects them?
Chris: Curiosity. Aesthetics. Technical challenges. I’m drawn to discovering how things work—how energy moves, how thoughts ripple into form. It’s less about a single thread and more about following that sense of wonder.
FUTURE: What’s Next for Mod
Diane: Mod Creations feels like a culmination—but also a launchpad. What’s next?
Chris: Originally, Mod Creations was going to evolve into a furniture design shop. But COVID threw a wrench in the works, and I even gave up the domain name. Now, OHM Yeah is the only place where the artwork is available. These days, I’m doing stonework in Maine—flagstone walkways, a “Dart Shed,” and other custom structures. I also built a custom camper. I’d love to dive back into “old object” photography—what I call pop-art. I have a favorite image of a record player on a black background. It’s simple, but powerful.
Diane: If you could show your work anywhere, where would it be?
Chris: I’d love to do a full gallery show—22 of the OHM Yeah pieces, printed big on metal. Some on bare metal for that contrasty B&W effect. Somewhere cool and modern, with Drum and Bass music setting the tone.
Diane: Any dream collaborations or off-the-wall ideas in the works?
Chris: I definitely want to do another custom car build—something like a ’60s body on a modern Mercedes or Lexus chassis. That’ll be a collaboration. Beyond that, more unique architecture and installations, I hope.
CLOSING VIBES
Diane: When someone hangs a Mod Creations piece in their space, what do you hope they feel?
Chris: I hope they feel like they have something truly special. These images took decades to realize. I also hope they experience that surreal depth—a 3D object emerging from a 2D image. That’s the energy I want them to walk away with.
Chris Williamson’s work is a slow-burning, genre-jumping celebration of vision, process, and grit. His Mod Creations are now available exclusively on OHM Yeah—a tribute to decades of artistic evolution, printed in metal and powered by intention.
Explore Mod Creations by Chris Williamson
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