Charlie Thacker, MFA

Adjunct Professor of Art and Design

Miami University - Oxford, OH

Northern Kentucky University - Highland Heights, KY

Artist’s Statement

I create mixed media art that embodies the tenets of systems philosophy—the expansive set of theories that regard everything in the cosmos as a set of interacting components. The fundamental principles of this philosophy are exchanged through a combination of materials and representations of the systems we encounter in our everyday lives and those which are distant and abstract. Collage, assemblage, kinetic devices, and painted elements are brought together in a harmonious union which simulates natural connections between apparently separate subjects. 

My work is guided largely by the neo surrealist art movement and draws influence from an extensive host of art styles, academic subjects, literature and music. In my opinion, art is the least lonely discipline because it is informed by all other disciplines and contributes something meaningful to all other disciplines. For this reason, I try to illuminate the perfect marriage between art and systems philosophy. 

Emphasis on acrylic painting and use of densely detailed images are qualities inherent in my work, both as a homage to contemporary art’s paragons and to invite prolonged viewing to think deeply about the systemic organization of our world. My firm convictions are that nurturing a systems worldview will be beneficial for our future, and that the ancient language of painting has much yet to offer in sharing this perspective.