The Enduring Romance of the Machine: Why Painter Colin Latter is Capturing Olivetti Typewriter Souls

 

 

Here at El Granero Typewriter Company, we believe old machines aren't just tools—they're characters. They are solid, tangible records of history, holding stories in their keys and mechanisms. That's why we're captivated by the work of British painter Colin Latter (known on Instagram as @studio_latter).

 

 

Latter, who has a fascinating background spanning from furniture-making to fronting the anarcho-punk band Flux of Pink Indians, has turned his keen eye toward the domestic details of the mid-20th century. And in his vividly colored, sharply angled compositions, he has found beauty in the very object that defines our world: the typewriter.

 

Painting the "Proto-Type" of the Past

 

Colin Latter's current work is deeply personal, driven by a fascination with the objects that defined the 1950s and 60s—the "futuristic" relics that are now beautifully obsolete. For us, the highlight is his focus on the classic, inanimate workhorses of that era.

His exhibition, "PROTO-TYPE," highlights this precise theme, featuring everyday objects like record players, transistor radios, and, crucially, obsolete typewriters (including the iconic Olivetti). In an interview, Latter noted that his richly coloured canvases are a "little nod to the past," recording a time that might look romantic to us now.

 

 

His artistic process is a perfect parallel to the meticulous restoration of a vintage typewriter. He uses photography as a starting point, then exaggerates color and pushes perspective, creating a unique, almost slightly uncanny vision of familiarity. He takes a familiar object—a Royal, a Hermes, an Olivetti—and forces us to look at it as if for the first time, seeing its unusual shapes and sharp lines in glorious, unapologetic colour.

 

 

From Anarcho-Punk to Artistic Craftsmanship

 

What makes Latter's appreciation for these historical items so compelling is the creative energy he brings to them. He says a "punk vibe" is "still alive and well in me, and it shows very clearly in my work." This rebellious energy manifests not in destruction, but in a non-conformist approach to beauty: elevating a worn, forgotten object of routine labour into a vibrant, essential piece of art.

 

 

Just as a typewriter requires a combination of engineering, design, and focused intention, Latter's art blends a furniture-maker’s eye for form with a painter’s passion for expression. His dedication to craft and colour breathes new life into the silent history held within these machines.

We encourage you to explore Colin Latter’s work and see how he masterfully documents the aesthetic and emotional resonance of the mid-century machine.

 

 

You can see more of Colin Latter's work here:

• Instagram: studio_latter
• Interview & Background:
• The Golovine BlogPictures courtesy of Colin Latter