Helen Ingham and the Hi-Artz Press

Established by artist-printer Helen Ingham, a member of the Association of Illustrators, the Hi-Artz Press uses 500+ year old print technology!  Described as a meeting point between graphic design and fine art, Hi-Artz work is timeless, giving a contemporary yet traditional feel. 

Following a career in animation and design spanning some 12 years, Helen graduated with an MA in Communication Design from Central St Martins College of Art in 2005.  The main body of her work was produced using letterpress and was described by many as a breath of fresh air. 

After a good few years of collecting old printing equipment, and learning and developing letterpress techniques on small, hand operated presses, Helen fulfilled an ambition in  Sept 2004 and worked as an intern for Hatch Showprint in Nashville, Tennessee (who have been producing show posters since 1879!).  She also met and discovered the work of Bryce McCloud and Isle of Printing while in Nashville. This settled matters and made her decide to produce work on a larger scale while  developing her own style and after acquiring yet more type and a proof press capable of printing up to 13" x 22", the Hi-Artz Press was born!

Helen has since  had work exhibited at the Mall Galleries in Central London, the Hat Factory in Luton and has sold to private buyers all over the world as well as having  pieces purchased by the University of The Arts, London Collection.  She took part in Dependence Daze, an online exhibition featuring joint projects between artists and designers in the US and UK. Editorial illustration work has been commissioned for Rubbish Magazine and  Photoworks Magazine and her posters have also featured in Le Gun and Design Week magazines. This year she set up Central St Martins (L)Ink, a diverse group of printmakers and bookbinders, who showed and sold a dazzling and eclectic array of work at scissorspaperstone artist's book and multiple print fair, which took place at Londonprintstudio. She also took part in the Seventh  Friends of St Bride Library Conference, giving live demonstrations and delegates had the opportunity to print themselves a keepsake on a Victorian Albion press. In July 2008 Helen and a group of other Arts London Emerging Artists  produced commissioned posters  for  Lovebox  weekeder festival, where they were exhibited in the VIP longe and sold in limited edition.

See the dedicated Exhibitions page on this site, or the Saatchi Gallery website for further details of exhibited work.

Helen now spends most of her time as a letterpress instructor and technician at London Metropolitan University and Central St Martins where she lectures and runs short courses. She has previously run illustration and print workshops with school children of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging students to enjoy the process rather than worrying about the end result, hopefully developing a confidence and further interest in art. 

This website only shows a small cross section of work.  So please get in touch if you have any questions or would like examples e-mailed to you.  (Alternatively, have a look at the myspace site for regular updates).

Some items are for sale and commissions are undertaken, however, jobbing printing (runs of items such as business cards) is unlikely at the moment, due to other commitments.  However you can always ask! So please email.