Chromatic Typewriter: A Typewriter That Paints

Washington-based painter Tyree Callahan modified a 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter by replacing the letters and keys with color pads and hue labels to create a functional painting typewriter, dubbed the Chromatic Typewriter. The typewriter was submitted to the 2012 West Prize competition, an annual art prize whose winner is determined by popular vote.

Callahan says in his artist's statement, "I'm constantly amazed at the play of light through our moist air and over the varied landscape of the Pacific Northwest. I especially enjoy early morning light--that short interval of time just before the last of the fog burns off--and evening light, especially on humid evenings, when the atmosphere itself is aglow with evening's hues. We live in an environment that can produce both vivid and somber landscapes, often both within an hour's time."