Simple, plain and ordinary from far away, Tom Bartek’s painting “Madonna and Child with Daylilies” cannot be fully appreciated until it is seen up close. A woman and a baby standing by a wall seems unoriginal, but Bartek makes it his own simply with the materials he uses. The woman and baby are painted directly on the panel, but the wall of the house is painted wood and the bricks look like they are made of real mortar. The use of mixed construction in a simple picture is what displays the creativity of Bartek’s work.

Tom Bartek’s “Retrospective” is his current exhibition, including paintings from 1956 to 2012. His first exhibition in many years, “Retrospective” is currently in three galleries and marks the painter’s 80th birthday. Featuring 32 paintings, the exhibit, displayed in the Lied Education Center for the Arts, contains a fine

showing from Bartek’s nearly 60 years of art. Unlike the piece made of mixed construction, most of Bartek’s paintings consist of acrylic on a panel or canvas. He kept this consistent over the years, but the style of his portraits changed over time.

In his early years – around the ‘60s and ‘70s – the subjects of his portraits were depicted more abstractly with thicker lines, unequal proportions and bold colors. The ‘80s seemed to be a time of more experimentation with shading and an emphasis on fine details.

Bartek used a technique of individually outlining the small subjects in his paintings with odd colors to make them stand out against the basic scene.

Including both landscapes and portraits as well as differing techniques, the “Retrospective” exhibit provides a well-rounded example of Bartek’s artwork.

An Omaha native, Tom Bartek was born in 1932. Studying art in New York and working as exhibitions manager at the Joslyn Art Museum, Bartek then taught many forms of art at Creighton University before setting up his own studio in 1975. Since then, Bartek has been creating and selling his own paintings. Shown throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, Bartek’s

serigraphs and paintings have been displayed in museums, galleries and institutions. After retiring in 1998 to take care of his wife, Bartek did not return to the art scene until now in his “Retrospective” exhibit.

“Retrospective” is a very well-rounded exhibit containing quite a selection of Bartek’s artwork. Representing the diverse styles of his painting avoids the repetitiveness and monotony that can be found in some larger collections of one artist. The simplicity of the style or subject in the different pieces provides room for deeper thought by the viewer. As a whole, the exhibit has a respectable diversity and size for a half hour of relaxation and inspiration.

The Tom Bartek “Retrospective” exhibit will remain in the Lied Art Gallery through Oct. 12 and is open to the public 1-4 p.m. daily.