Joe Brittain
Letters to the Weather

In these drawings, text is written in a haphazard way until it overlaps in patterns that begin to reference, waves, snow, or blowing sand. They are texturally related to the sandy works of Brittain’s 2017 second solo exhibition at Catinca Tabacaru, New York; here text is used as texture.

The writing is stream of consciousness poetry where many things are discussed, asked, repeated and edited over and over. The challenge for the artist was to keep writing when he could no longer make out the words. Brittain found it frustrating until he gave into the abstract and flowing nature of thought and writing and language in general.

What is discovered is how delicate the words are (and therefore meaning) and how quickly our eyes can no longer make them out in the mess, but if one steps away, beautiful patterns emerge. The patterns are like those we find most beautiful in nature – waves on a sea, sandy dunes, grain patterns in wood and sand – patterns that are a mess up close but make sense to use on a deep level when an overall view is taken.