Faith Cover Art
Let All Things Now Living
Bulletin cover art by Tom Zima
Bulletin cover art by Tom Zima
Image Notes, Trinkets and quiz!
Thank you all for allowing me to be part of the Outdoor Summer Slam Services in my own unorthodox way. Creating art for the weekly bulletin is a joy and a blessing for me.
As you know, I usually include some “Easter eggs” in my works. These are little hidden treasures that hopefully add depth to the thematic content as well as the visual texture. I thought I might give you a Spoiler Alert Scavenger Hunt that you could use to revisit the images.
For example, all three drawings employ the circle as a primary compositional element. The circle has symbolism in many cultures. I mentioned that Renaissance Italians used it to represent heaven – hence all the domes. Disney uses it in Lion King to represent cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth.
In the third bulletin drawing, I use the same circle to give two shouts-out to indigenous culture. Civilizations have thrived on this continent for over 13,000 years. During that time they employed only sustainable technologies. I tried to honor this kind of wisdom with the solar drawing. The linear labyrinth-like pattern of the sun rays – reminiscent of ripples on the surface of a still a pond when a big ol’ bayou bullfrog executes a bellyflop – is actually derived directly from the decoration I found on a Hopi pottery bowl. The Hopi artists study design techniques that have been passed down for centuries. The radial nature of the composition is a eloquent tribute to the music of the spheres.
I used a traditional indigenous pallet to color the sunshine. The gold colors come from the iron in the pueblo soil. Red is another mineral pigment; hematite. Black is made by boiling Beeweed for a very long time. White comes from the clay itself. Each of these colors has it’s own meaning that make the works sacred in nature. First Nations peoples employ the circle in many ceremonial ways. Can you name some others?
Here are some other vignettes to hunt for in the three works:
Extra Credit: The NCAA logos in week two were selected at random. Honest, they were. I did a web search for images to draw from, and took the first one that came up. It’s mere coincidence that history’s greatest NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball program is represented. [Hint: it’s not NIU]. Five extra points if your alma mater is repped in this drawing.
Okay, how did you do? Count up your points. If you scored 41 or higher, you can consider yourself a Star Performer. And, yes, your Star Performer medal can be found in drawing two.
As you know, I usually include some “Easter eggs” in my works. These are little hidden treasures that hopefully add depth to the thematic content as well as the visual texture. I thought I might give you a Spoiler Alert Scavenger Hunt that you could use to revisit the images.
For example, all three drawings employ the circle as a primary compositional element. The circle has symbolism in many cultures. I mentioned that Renaissance Italians used it to represent heaven – hence all the domes. Disney uses it in Lion King to represent cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth.
In the third bulletin drawing, I use the same circle to give two shouts-out to indigenous culture. Civilizations have thrived on this continent for over 13,000 years. During that time they employed only sustainable technologies. I tried to honor this kind of wisdom with the solar drawing. The linear labyrinth-like pattern of the sun rays – reminiscent of ripples on the surface of a still a pond when a big ol’ bayou bullfrog executes a bellyflop – is actually derived directly from the decoration I found on a Hopi pottery bowl. The Hopi artists study design techniques that have been passed down for centuries. The radial nature of the composition is a eloquent tribute to the music of the spheres.
I used a traditional indigenous pallet to color the sunshine. The gold colors come from the iron in the pueblo soil. Red is another mineral pigment; hematite. Black is made by boiling Beeweed for a very long time. White comes from the clay itself. Each of these colors has it’s own meaning that make the works sacred in nature. First Nations peoples employ the circle in many ceremonial ways. Can you name some others?
Here are some other vignettes to hunt for in the three works:
- There are four animals that make it into more than one of the drawings. There are two animals that appear in all three of the drawings.
- One of the drawings features a textbook that was written by a member of our congregation.
- Sermon notes; In week one, Pastor Julie introduced us to a minister who painted hope-filled scenes derived from Isaiah 11. One of those works is sampled in the week three bulletin cover. Who was the artist and what is the title of the painting?
- Design elements from the Luther crest are included in all three drawings. Can you find them?
- “I can see your house from here!” The ‘neighborhood’ that creates the perimeter of the drawing in week three features three actual Glen Ellyn houses – along with a Glen Ellyn house of worship. I’m sure you recognize the church. Bonus points if you live in one of the other three houses.
- Not a hidden gem – more of an observation; does our church look like Noah’s ark to you?
- There are 9 animals from the Chinese zodiac spread over the three weeks. Can you find them all?
- One of the characters from my Juneteenth celebration drawings is making an encore appearance. Which person is it?
- Yes, I’m a trekkie. I sampled an image from the Star Trek universe to represent a hopeful future. In the Star Trek timeline, by the time Kirk & crew go on their own treasure hunt to find a species of whale that has become extinct, the Earth is 100% powered by solar energy. Find the Star Trek insignia in week three.
- Week two includes a number of flags. All but one are national flags. Can you name the nations? Which one is not a country? [hint: it was designed by a member of our congregation]
- Week two includes images that were appropriated from two Italian Renaissance artists. Both share names with Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first I mentioned was Raphael Sanzio and I took the trompe l’oeil architecture from one of his frescos. For the other, I stole a snippet out of one of his sketchbooks. Which artist and which snippet?
Extra Credit: The NCAA logos in week two were selected at random. Honest, they were. I did a web search for images to draw from, and took the first one that came up. It’s mere coincidence that history’s greatest NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball program is represented. [Hint: it’s not NIU]. Five extra points if your alma mater is repped in this drawing.
Okay, how did you do? Count up your points. If you scored 41 or higher, you can consider yourself a Star Performer. And, yes, your Star Performer medal can be found in drawing two.
Solar Dedication Sunday, August 24, 2025.
God Shines in All that’s Fair
The sun is so pervasive in our lives that it’s hard to talk about. But it’s not hard to paint. Any five-year-old can teach you how. Yellow circle with lines radiating outward. Big smiley face. You’re done.
Maybe that’s why I went into art; lack of words. A few strokes of the brush, on the other hand, speaks volumes.
Art tells you about my neighborhood - Tree City, USA. A peaceable hamlet festooned in verdant greens for 4 - 5ish months of the year.
A brush can sum up summer; watermelon, bugs, guitar, Frolf and home-grown tomatoes. Oh, yeah, and a big bright sun smiling radiantly overhead.
Bold strokes can describe a hopeful future. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. [Isaiah 11:6] Right there on your front lawn.
When I set out to celebrate the sun, my thoughts scampered about like rabbits entering and exiting a warren. It’s a big topic. It’s a big object.
Of course there are plenty of heliotropic bible verses to chose from. But it seems like every time I thought I had one by the tail, it turned out to be a scrap of song lyric.
“Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street.”
“I think I can make it now, the pain has gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shining day”
“Don't you carry yesterday's
Heartache into the morning (in the morning)
You can cry in the night but you know joy
Comes in the morning [oh] (in the morning)”
It’s a big topic.
How big?
It’s “save the planet” big.
I latched on to a solar-power theme because it’s a very Christian thing. Christians were given dominion as a sacred charge. We are supposed to be the gardeners.
The gardener doesn’t exploit the garden. And yet, somehow our garden is in peril. We are living in a time and place where the government gives tax incentives to entice companies to burn coal. The garden is in danger from its guardians.
In my younger days I had a short commute. I would flip channels a lot because I didn’t want to spend my twelve-minute drive listening to radio ads. I remember one time flipping in on the middle of a sermon just in time to hear a vivacious preacher proclaim, “Hope is sassy!”
That’s the business of a Christian. We should issue business cards at each baptism.
“Thomas John,
child of God
Sassily hopeful…”
The garden is at risk. It’s my duty to fight for it with the best weapons God gave me. I painted a hopeful scene. Solar is a sassy affirmation that in giving us “dominion”, God charged us with a sacred commission to care for this glorious terrestrial protectorate.
Technology can be used to heal. It doesn’t have to only pollute. God provided a great big power source. It’s been there since day four. Why do we keep digging in the ground for fuel? There’s unspeakable energy smiling down on our heads. It’s way past time we plugged in.
At Faith Lutheran, our roof is now solar. In other words; the sky’s the limit. We are off the grid and hard-wired into the power cosmic.
David Dunlop used to remind us that small animals make first paths. I’m proud to celebrate a congregation that leads by making small steps toward a big future. This church cares enough for the folks, fauna, and flora in its global neighborhood to go boldly where no Lutheran has gone before. That’s a legacy that will light the way for generations to come.
The sun is so pervasive in our lives that it’s hard to talk about. But it’s not hard to paint. Any five-year-old can teach you how. Yellow circle with lines radiating outward. Big smiley face. You’re done.
Maybe that’s why I went into art; lack of words. A few strokes of the brush, on the other hand, speaks volumes.
Art tells you about my neighborhood - Tree City, USA. A peaceable hamlet festooned in verdant greens for 4 - 5ish months of the year.
A brush can sum up summer; watermelon, bugs, guitar, Frolf and home-grown tomatoes. Oh, yeah, and a big bright sun smiling radiantly overhead.
Bold strokes can describe a hopeful future. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. [Isaiah 11:6] Right there on your front lawn.
When I set out to celebrate the sun, my thoughts scampered about like rabbits entering and exiting a warren. It’s a big topic. It’s a big object.
Of course there are plenty of heliotropic bible verses to chose from. But it seems like every time I thought I had one by the tail, it turned out to be a scrap of song lyric.
“Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street.”
“I think I can make it now, the pain has gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright, bright sun-shining day”
“Don't you carry yesterday's
Heartache into the morning (in the morning)
You can cry in the night but you know joy
Comes in the morning [oh] (in the morning)”
It’s a big topic.
How big?
It’s “save the planet” big.
I latched on to a solar-power theme because it’s a very Christian thing. Christians were given dominion as a sacred charge. We are supposed to be the gardeners.
The gardener doesn’t exploit the garden. And yet, somehow our garden is in peril. We are living in a time and place where the government gives tax incentives to entice companies to burn coal. The garden is in danger from its guardians.
In my younger days I had a short commute. I would flip channels a lot because I didn’t want to spend my twelve-minute drive listening to radio ads. I remember one time flipping in on the middle of a sermon just in time to hear a vivacious preacher proclaim, “Hope is sassy!”
That’s the business of a Christian. We should issue business cards at each baptism.
“Thomas John,
child of God
Sassily hopeful…”
The garden is at risk. It’s my duty to fight for it with the best weapons God gave me. I painted a hopeful scene. Solar is a sassy affirmation that in giving us “dominion”, God charged us with a sacred commission to care for this glorious terrestrial protectorate.
Technology can be used to heal. It doesn’t have to only pollute. God provided a great big power source. It’s been there since day four. Why do we keep digging in the ground for fuel? There’s unspeakable energy smiling down on our heads. It’s way past time we plugged in.
At Faith Lutheran, our roof is now solar. In other words; the sky’s the limit. We are off the grid and hard-wired into the power cosmic.
David Dunlop used to remind us that small animals make first paths. I’m proud to celebrate a congregation that leads by making small steps toward a big future. This church cares enough for the folks, fauna, and flora in its global neighborhood to go boldly where no Lutheran has gone before. That’s a legacy that will light the way for generations to come.
Backpack Blessing Sunday, August 17, 2025.
Pedagogical Sketchbook
I’ll let you in on a little secret;
Anything you do on paper is a drawing. Anything you do on canvas is a painting. Everything else is sculpture.
So this is the second drawing in this series. It is mixed media on paper. ‘Mixed media’ means I can’t get every effect that I want with watercolor alone; the proverbial “jack of all trades and master of none”.
The composition continues the circle motif, but introduces the square as a new element. In the famous drawing of DaVinci doing jumping jacks, the square is superimposed over a circle. That’s a secret art code. In that lexicon, the square represents earth and the circle represents heaven. That self-portrait was not meant by the artist to be a logo for healthcare networks. It talked about our precarious predicament - the awkward placement that human beings find themselves in - treading the narrow bandwidth between the ground and God.
What the heck do we do with that?
Some people dig for answers, unearthing the story of our past in hopes of solving the puzzles of the now. Others look to the skies, dreaming of a future in which we fly with the freedom of birds.
Endowed by our Creator with really big brains, it is only natural for us to seek understanding. In the best possible scenario; to seek to understand rather than to be understood.
I stole an arch from Raphael Sanzio. You can see it as a ruin in the upper right corner of the work. The arch is from a fresco (painting on plaster wall - so I guess that makes it a sculpture??) called School of Athens. School of Athens is a renaissance group portrait of famous seekers. Michelangelo Buonarroti is there. So is Aristotle. A whole bunch of others.
Famous seekers are not included in my drawing. In my drawing, I sought to celebrate the unknown seekers.
Students from as far away as Pennsylvania flock to a small Staten Island bodega, bursting through the door with their report cards held high above their heads, proudly waving in the air. In this humble niche works a man who rewards students for their academic achievements.
He is an immigrant and his biological children are in a country far away. So “Island Ock” adopted the entire neighborhood. He gives the young scholars prizes, but the love goes far beyond that. This humble store keeper takes time to read through their report cards, to listen to them talk about things that aren’t going well, to coach them in setting goals for the next semester, and, yes, high fives for the wins.
“The most important thing is you celebrate them and you show them that you really care about their hard work.”
That’s the job of the parents, the church, the community, the little bodega dude, and God. From your ABCs to the NCAA, education is clearly a part of God’s plan.
In the beginning was the Word, and through scripture God teaches us all kinds of great things. God gave us a textbook. It covers a lot of situations and scenarios Like any textbook, there’s no way to read the entire thing (or is there?). Unlike some textbooks, it’s not a trap - 80% of your grade won’t be based on an obscure footnote at the bottom of page 574. The Bible is meant to help you, to encourage you, and to remind you that you are wondrously made and unconditionally loved.
God’s family includes some fairly renowned scholars. The Lord brought before Adam every creature and whatever Adam called the thing, that was its name. This makes Adam the first scientist.
Solomon, who refers to himself as “THE Teacher”, was a great philosopher. He had a lot to say but no answers.
Jesus, the very son of God and the gem of the line, spent three famous years lecturing. His classes were so well attended that no auditorium could host them. He sat outside and told the truth tuition-free to anyone who wanted to hear it. Surprisingly, people wanted to hear the truth. They thronged to him, calling him Teacher. That point was never questioned. Even the corrupt politicians of the time who espoused untruth in vain effort to prop up their kleptocracy, those who had every earthly thing to lose by the spread of truth, they still referred to Jesus as Teacher.
It seems in keeping with God’s will to come together, to share ideas, and to grow in wisdom and understanding. To delve and to dream. To celebrate our blessed uniqueness in being fully circle and fully square. As parents, as community, as the church, as goofy bodega dudes and as heaven-sent emissaries, we call on the Living, Loving and Lecturing God to bless our scholars as they embark on a new year.
I’ll let you in on a little secret;
Anything you do on paper is a drawing. Anything you do on canvas is a painting. Everything else is sculpture.
So this is the second drawing in this series. It is mixed media on paper. ‘Mixed media’ means I can’t get every effect that I want with watercolor alone; the proverbial “jack of all trades and master of none”.
The composition continues the circle motif, but introduces the square as a new element. In the famous drawing of DaVinci doing jumping jacks, the square is superimposed over a circle. That’s a secret art code. In that lexicon, the square represents earth and the circle represents heaven. That self-portrait was not meant by the artist to be a logo for healthcare networks. It talked about our precarious predicament - the awkward placement that human beings find themselves in - treading the narrow bandwidth between the ground and God.
What the heck do we do with that?
Some people dig for answers, unearthing the story of our past in hopes of solving the puzzles of the now. Others look to the skies, dreaming of a future in which we fly with the freedom of birds.
Endowed by our Creator with really big brains, it is only natural for us to seek understanding. In the best possible scenario; to seek to understand rather than to be understood.
I stole an arch from Raphael Sanzio. You can see it as a ruin in the upper right corner of the work. The arch is from a fresco (painting on plaster wall - so I guess that makes it a sculpture??) called School of Athens. School of Athens is a renaissance group portrait of famous seekers. Michelangelo Buonarroti is there. So is Aristotle. A whole bunch of others.
Famous seekers are not included in my drawing. In my drawing, I sought to celebrate the unknown seekers.
Students from as far away as Pennsylvania flock to a small Staten Island bodega, bursting through the door with their report cards held high above their heads, proudly waving in the air. In this humble niche works a man who rewards students for their academic achievements.
He is an immigrant and his biological children are in a country far away. So “Island Ock” adopted the entire neighborhood. He gives the young scholars prizes, but the love goes far beyond that. This humble store keeper takes time to read through their report cards, to listen to them talk about things that aren’t going well, to coach them in setting goals for the next semester, and, yes, high fives for the wins.
“The most important thing is you celebrate them and you show them that you really care about their hard work.”
That’s the job of the parents, the church, the community, the little bodega dude, and God. From your ABCs to the NCAA, education is clearly a part of God’s plan.
In the beginning was the Word, and through scripture God teaches us all kinds of great things. God gave us a textbook. It covers a lot of situations and scenarios Like any textbook, there’s no way to read the entire thing (or is there?). Unlike some textbooks, it’s not a trap - 80% of your grade won’t be based on an obscure footnote at the bottom of page 574. The Bible is meant to help you, to encourage you, and to remind you that you are wondrously made and unconditionally loved.
God’s family includes some fairly renowned scholars. The Lord brought before Adam every creature and whatever Adam called the thing, that was its name. This makes Adam the first scientist.
Solomon, who refers to himself as “THE Teacher”, was a great philosopher. He had a lot to say but no answers.
Jesus, the very son of God and the gem of the line, spent three famous years lecturing. His classes were so well attended that no auditorium could host them. He sat outside and told the truth tuition-free to anyone who wanted to hear it. Surprisingly, people wanted to hear the truth. They thronged to him, calling him Teacher. That point was never questioned. Even the corrupt politicians of the time who espoused untruth in vain effort to prop up their kleptocracy, those who had every earthly thing to lose by the spread of truth, they still referred to Jesus as Teacher.
It seems in keeping with God’s will to come together, to share ideas, and to grow in wisdom and understanding. To delve and to dream. To celebrate our blessed uniqueness in being fully circle and fully square. As parents, as community, as the church, as goofy bodega dudes and as heaven-sent emissaries, we call on the Living, Loving and Lecturing God to bless our scholars as they embark on a new year.
Pet Blessing Sunday, August 10, 2025.
We could all learn things from rats. The Bible is great and all, but our understanding of God doesn’t have to begin and end there. All of creation, by virtue of it literally being creation, can give us insight into the Creator.
Those old fables where animals teach us lessons on being human are derived from a creation that God clearly put us in for a reason. If we were not meant to learn from it, what point would there have been in depositing us here?
Imagine if all members of your family greeted you the way your dog does - capering about most obstreperously, shouting your praises and showering you with kisses - EVERY TIME you returned from being away a few hours. How would that impact your relationships with your family?
Whatever your stance on evolution, you have to acknowledge that our earthly vessels are made of the same stuff as our beasty neighbors. I believe God did that for a reason.
It’s kind of like touching green. I think humans have a fundamental need to scritch fur on a regular basis.
Human cultures have always held places of reverence for animals. Creator God is revealed to us in the wonders of the creation; the furry and the feathered, the scaley and the scurrying, the amphibious and the arthropodinous.
On the outer ring of the drawing, I have placed a few of the venerable animals from different cultures. The lofty owl beckons to our intellect from the seat of wisdom on Athena’s shoulder. The Chinese zodiac has a very different take on snakes from what we read in Genesis.
My farmer friend Dick cautioned me one time. He said, “Don’t name the livestock”. Animals that we get to know quickly become members of the family.
Inside the circle are the animals we live with. It’s a testament to God’s imagination that there are so many different types of pets on your street. They reflect the exquisite variation God employed in making us; so many different types of people in God’s family.
Two slapstick psych-lab rats came home with our son at the conclusion of last semester. Rats are vivacious and curious. They learn quickly and need daily enrichment. And, of course, they fill our hearts daily with their playful antics.
What other blessed creatures can you find in this work? What do you think was God’s intent when they were spoken into being by God’s Word?
It was an old joke back in art school that we would all end up so broke that we’d be forced to do pet portraiture in order to stave off starvation.
I never thought I’d end up so blessed that I would feel honored to make pet art.
Those old fables where animals teach us lessons on being human are derived from a creation that God clearly put us in for a reason. If we were not meant to learn from it, what point would there have been in depositing us here?
Imagine if all members of your family greeted you the way your dog does - capering about most obstreperously, shouting your praises and showering you with kisses - EVERY TIME you returned from being away a few hours. How would that impact your relationships with your family?
Whatever your stance on evolution, you have to acknowledge that our earthly vessels are made of the same stuff as our beasty neighbors. I believe God did that for a reason.
It’s kind of like touching green. I think humans have a fundamental need to scritch fur on a regular basis.
Human cultures have always held places of reverence for animals. Creator God is revealed to us in the wonders of the creation; the furry and the feathered, the scaley and the scurrying, the amphibious and the arthropodinous.
On the outer ring of the drawing, I have placed a few of the venerable animals from different cultures. The lofty owl beckons to our intellect from the seat of wisdom on Athena’s shoulder. The Chinese zodiac has a very different take on snakes from what we read in Genesis.
My farmer friend Dick cautioned me one time. He said, “Don’t name the livestock”. Animals that we get to know quickly become members of the family.
Inside the circle are the animals we live with. It’s a testament to God’s imagination that there are so many different types of pets on your street. They reflect the exquisite variation God employed in making us; so many different types of people in God’s family.
Two slapstick psych-lab rats came home with our son at the conclusion of last semester. Rats are vivacious and curious. They learn quickly and need daily enrichment. And, of course, they fill our hearts daily with their playful antics.
What other blessed creatures can you find in this work? What do you think was God’s intent when they were spoken into being by God’s Word?
It was an old joke back in art school that we would all end up so broke that we’d be forced to do pet portraiture in order to stave off starvation.
I never thought I’d end up so blessed that I would feel honored to make pet art.
