Barb Thomas is sharing years of her photography with visitors at The House.

Thomas, a photography instructor at NIU, has a retrospective exhibit at the coffee shop, 263 E. Lincoln Highway. The exhibit runs through Sunday.

The photographs show a progression of Thomas’ work over 15 years.

Many have multi layered images created through traditional multiple-exposure photography methods or through digital technology.

Her early work focuses on images of women in public places contrasted with fantasy images of women in store windows. Thomas’ later work concentrates on the theme of family and the knowledge one has of the members of one’s family.

Family photographs, keepsakes and letters often are incorporated into Thomas’ more recent art.

“Thomas’ subject matter is very personal,” said Steve Thiel, curator of The House’s gallery. “Most people are very appreciative of her work.”

One of Thomas’ favorite pieces on display is called “Perfect.” It is a digital print that combines old family photographs and pictures of personal objects.

She prefers making digital prints when working with color.

“After I got a good printer, I was able to have complete control over the images by using [Adobe] Photoshop,” Thomas said. “It’s been a long journey from straight photography to working digitally with more personal images. It’s part of being an artist, though. As you get older, you begin to see the world in a new way.”

Originally from Detroit, Thomas has lived in the DeKalb area since 1979. She received her master’s of fine arts degree in photography from NIU in 1989 and has taught photography at NIU since 1990.

The House routinely features artwork from area artists. The exhibits generally run for six to eight weeks. For information on artwork at The House, call 753-1235.