Michael Hepher

The Art of the Poster: A Retrospective of Clawhammer Press Prints

Artist Statement

The poster, or handbill, is an iconic form of ephemera. Originally used to convey information about an event, the medium has evolved to a level of sophistication that transcends its practical origins. Posters have become collectible, artisanal, and beautiful, but they still need to communicate enough information to inspire people to turn up at the advertised event.

Over my years operating Clawhammer Press, I’ve created hundreds of prints that toe the line of is-it-art-or-is-it-advertising for bands, brands, and causes. Each print was hand-designed, hand-carved, and hand-printed using the historic process of letterpress printing. Each time I create a poster I keep a small stack of artist proofs and extras—which have never been shown together. I would like to create a show of my hand-printed posters that is in part retrospective of posters printed between 2011 and 2023, as well as adding a number of new works to add a contemporary relevancy.

Artist Biography

Michael Hepher is an interdisciplinary artist working as a printmaker, oil painter, and illustrator. Michael creates with a unique sense of colour, oblique interpretation of the common, and a relentless pursuit of quality. Credits include a wide variety of successful exhibitions, public art projects, and private commissions. Notable recents include work shown in the New Impressions exhibit at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum (Two Rivers, WI, USA • 2019 & 2017) and a feature profile in Uppercase Magazine’s PRINT/MAKER edition of the Encyclopedia of Inspiration. Recently his work has been featured at international print exhibitions 20for20 (Austin, TX, 2020) and The Art of Protest (London, UK, 2022) as well as the recent In This Together: A touring body of work borne from a CBT Major Project grant that was exhibited at 6 galleries around the Kootenays in 2021-2022. Living Colour (October 2023) a collection of large works in oil at Elevation Gallery. Most recently his Natural Geometry exhibition of progressive prints showed in Revelstoke (June 2024), Canmore (September 2024) and Cranbrook (October 2024). Michael continues to operate Clawhammer Press from his studio in Fernie, BC.

Insta: @michaelhepher

Special Thanks to the Fernie Pride Society for loaning frames

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