Summer Shorts 66: A Typewriter Artist’s 10th Anniversary!

Once again it’s that time, entering those lazy, hazy days of summer, when I take vacation from usual blog post commentary on ageing and longevity matters to present other subjects of interest, current or historical, and sometimes whimsical icons of longevity.

It’s my Summer Shorts series 2024!

For a third year now I find myself still captivated by typewriter art, in particular the work of the artist James Cook. Is this further motivated by the fact that I own one of Cook’s prints of Royal Albert Hall purchased in winter of 2023? Naturally. However it’s also because it’s worth celebrating this year which marks the 10^th anniversary of James Cook’s Typewriter Art where he creates as he says “a picture worth a thousand words”.

It was back in June 2022 that I found out about this masterful typewriter artist who has a studio in east end London in the Docklands area at Trinity Buoy Wharf. Over the last few years, Cook has gained more international recognition, and his gallery of drawings – cityscapes and portraits – has grown to include such amazingly intricate pieces such as his Chimney-Top Typing: In Collaboration with Battersea Power Station and portraits such as those of Tom Hanks and Queen Elizabeth ll.

Cook owns over 100 typewriters mostly donated by fans of his work. What a legacy that he continues to use these machines with such skill and powers of observation to put so much character into each of his creations. One of the unique aspects of a Cook work is how he imbeds words messages into most prints. In my print of Royal Albert Hall if you look close you find he has typed names of artists who have played there as well as street names and even his own name.

As I follow James Cook’s journey, questions recently hit me – how many typewriter ribbons does he go through each year? Who does his repairs? That also sparked another question about the old Underwood Elliot Fisher model typewriter I have, made in Canada. It was passed on to me by my mother who had used it at home when she was younger in the 1940’s. I’ve been thinking (procrastinating) about restoring it; but where would I go, what about buying a stock of ribbons?

Well now I know. Investigation of my local area, south central Ontario, turned up a few independent typewriter shops that sell and repair old typewriters and stock ribbons. First is Toronto Typewriters. A trip east through crazy traffic into the city these days is no fun, but it could be worth the effort. A little west from me is Willowcreek Typewriters in Waterloo Ontario. Nearby in Kitchener is Accurate Typewriters and closer still in Niagara Falls, Hercules Workshop.

So while I get in motion to restore my old typewriter, if you are reading this from anywhere else on the planet, please let me know – where would you go to purchase or restore an old typewriter? Meanwhile I will once again leave you with a link to this blog article titled A Visual History of Typewriter Art from 1893 to Today on the wonderfully eclectic website The Marginalian

… and, Happy Anniversary James Cook!