A HAMMERSMITH artist is on the road towards typing her way to the very top and has put her incredible work on show in her home town. GREG BURNS met her to find out more.

ANYONE who still owns a typewriter has probably long-since stored it away into the dusty recesses of a basement or a loft.

They may have revolutionised the world when William Austin Burt unveiled his invention in 1829, but the arrival of computers saw them become obsolete in the late 1970s and left as a beacon of the past.

But not for emerging artist Keira Rathbone.

For the 28-year-old they are helping her build a growing reputation as one of the most sought-after young artists in London.

The Hammersmith resident spends hours creating wonderful Typewriter Art drawings using her extensive range of vintage machines and is running an exhibition of her latest work at King Street café Upsy Daisy Bakery until September 4.

Having become so accustomed to PCs and laptops, many of us would struggle to write a letter with a typewriter so looking closely at the drawings on the café walls, which include a drawing of Royal couple William and Kate and Hammersmith Bridge, it is hard not to be impressed by the level of skill on show.

With such an obvious talent for the art-form, it is surprising to find out that Keira's discovery of her gift came completely by accident while studying at Bristol University eight years ago.

“I was doing a Fine Art degree and I stumbled across a typewriter in a shop”, she said. “I fell in love with it straight away because it was so vintage and beautiful and I enjoyed typing letters on it.

“One day I was in my room and I had run out of things to write. I was a bit bored so I decided to see if I could draw something. I can still remember the first thing I drew, which was an eye, and I became fascinated to see what else I could do.

“And so it started from there. I found it quite easy to picture the drawing and type it out and soon I was moving onto scenes and more complex drawings.”

Without knowing it, Keira had stumbled across a rare thing in itself – a niche in the art market – and if you Google Typewriter Art then her name dominates the results.

But it was when she left her room and went out and about that she realised she was onto something.

She said: “I realised it was unique and special when I began doing live drawings. People would sit for me while I drew their eye or face and they would be fascinated to see it all come together.

“It turned into performance art and that is what I love. Seeing people's expressions as the drawing comes to life before their eyes.”

When she is not tapping away she is often trawling Ebay or the internet to find new typewriters that will challenge her skills.

But even though they are not widely used in today's society, she insists they are still trusted machines.

She said: “I have about 30 typewriters at the moment, dating between 1920s and 1980s, and they are incredibly sturdy machines. I am fascinated by the mechanics of them and how you can see them operate. So over the years I have become quite skilled in fixing them so I take a lot of pleasure from that too.

“But I am always on the look-out for new machines. I would like to get my hands on a Russian typewriter because their alphabet is so wonderful and would give so many new shapes to play around with.”

Despite still painting and drawing, Keira has dedicated her time to her Typewriter Art and was recently commissioned to capture the backstage scene at this year's Glastonbury Festival and drew bands like Glasvegas and The Horrors performing on the John Peel Stage.

She said: “That was incredible. I turned up on the day, was handed an all-access backstage pass and sent on my way. I must have looked odd walking around with a typewriter under my arm and sitting next to the stage as some bands played but it was awesome.”

She will head to the Isle of Wight for this year's Bestival music event next month to repeat the envious task before displaying her work at the Pushing Print Exhibition at Margate Gallery in October.

Keira's talent has attracted the attention of art galleries across the world, including New York and Brazil, but she wants to be careful about where she chooses to display her work.

For now she is just happy to have a spot in her home town to start off what will be a blossoming career.

She said: “I’m really excited to be showing some new pieces at the exhibition, particularly because it is being held in my local neighbourhood.

“Landmarks such as Hammersmith Bridge, as well as wildlife in Chiswick House gardens have been the starting point to new works and my technique will hopefully give people a different view of their local area.”

A downloadable audio guide is being created especially for the exhibition by Sony Award nominated BBC Producer Lolita Laguna, with soundscapes as well as interviews with the Keira giving insight into the works on display.

You can visit the exhibition at Upsy Daisy Bakery between 9am and 5pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sunday.