17/06/2025
Meet the Artist – Chris Ross Williamson 🎨
Having shown a talent for art during his school years, Chris later studied illustration at Barnfield College, Luton. As a qualified illustrator and trained graphic designer, Croydon-born Chris spent the majority of his career in design and advertising, and now paints full time in his studio on the Corton cliffs, in coastal Suffolk.
The move to his current studio was a recent one, having previously been working out of Barton Le Clay, in Bedfordshire. The panoramic sea views from his new creative space are clearly met with much enthusiasm and artistic spark. As he says “I’m hoping to experience the seasons and elements in all their glory, and to perhaps do some cloud and sky studies a la John Constable”
It is evident that Chris draws inspiration from his surroundings and loves to work “en plein air”, and he says that he's always armed and ready with a sketchbook – especially when on holiday – ready to capture scenes and stories as they unfold. His trips to the coast are often reflected in his work which, over the years, have collectively featured moody seascapes, light-drenched beach backdrops, crooked cottages, and panoramic coastal scenes.
Chris has loved the work of the art world’s 'greats' since childhood. He says “When I was young, I remember my Dad ordering a number of good quality Time/Life books. I used to pore over them of an evening. Rembrandt, Vermeer, The Impressionists, Van Gogh. The one I picked up again and again was Van Gogh. I liked the way he could 'draw with paint'. Plus he was a brilliant colourist. When I went to art college, my outlook evolved, and my new heroes were people like Ralph Steadman, Gerald Scarfe & Grey Jolliffe (I erred toward the more 'cartoony' side of things). More recently I have been inspired by artists such as David Shrigley, Sam Toft & Gary Bunt.”
Indeed, in his latest compositions, he pays homage to the unequivocal work of some famous modern and contemporary artists including Banksy, Monet, Mondrian, Warhol, and David Shrigley. His humorous and intriguing art-within-art style pieces each feature a man and his dog admiring a prominent work of art, and they jovially capture the essence and importance of the original pieces, conveying his own and others’ adoration of such pivotal pieces by audiences to this very day.
Chris' paintings have a quirky 'reportage' artistic style, with an engaging sense of fun. His highly narrative compositions are formed of panels - primarily ‘modular’ (based on 12” or 24” squares with varieties in-between) and individually sized or gessoed using various emulsions. “I prefer to paint on panel as opposed to canvas because I find it more forgiving. You don’t have a canvas tooth to worry about and painting on it isn’t as spongey”.
Chris uses a large palette of oil colours and prefers Winsor & Newton. However, the observant may have noticed that he sometimes mixes metallics (silver, copper or gold) into the paint. As he says "I find it makes things shimmer - particularly the sea, and it shows quite well after varnishing”.
Often described as 'whimsical', his work often involves an atmospheric land or seascape, populated with characters, such as the gaunt and dry-humoured ‘Garfield’, along with his faithful Jack Russell – ‘Barton Darcy’.
Chris' accompanies his work with a humorous ‘dittie’ – a four line poem about the world as Barton Darcy the Jack Russell sees it – a 'dog's eye view' if you will. The poems themselves evolve from the annotations of Chris' initial sketches.
His work can now be found in numerous galleries in his local area, and he also exhibits regularly in Southwold, Cromer, London and Cambridge. Increasingly collectable, his work is published as greetings cards and, we are very pleased to say, now as Fine Art limited edition prints published by us here at C&D Fine Art.
Head over to his artist page on our website - www.cd-fineart.co.uk - to find out more and to browse his full collection. Our trade customers can buy from our current collection here too.
