Martin Clark

Martin Clark began his 5 year apprenticeship with Tilley Printing at the age of 15 and later became Master Printer. During his career, in which he has also worked with the Oxford University Press, he has maintained the traditional skills and craftsmanship of the Letterpress Printer.

Tilley Letterpress Printing was established in the market town of Ledbury, Herefordshire in 1875. The Press is now situated off the High Street, down Tilley’s Alley. In the 1930s the  collection of type was expanded to hold many avant garde type faces of the day. In the mid 1950s  the Heidelberg Platens were introduced transforming the production of Letterpress printed material. Letterpress printing is a form of relief printing, where the text or image is on a raised surface, similar to a rubber stamp. Ink is applied to the raised surface and then paper is pressed directly against it to transfer the text/image.

Martin Clark has worked on many letterpress collaborations with Mark Hearld. The Folk at Heart design was commissioned by The Gallery. The letterpress was typeset by Martin and Mark who then created a papercut design of his lurcher Brio, in a vibrant red, which was made into a relief design by Martin.