Real Art. Real Time. Real Connection.
An 8-Week Summer Series of Contemplative Art & Scripture
July – August 2026
In an age of Artificial Intelligence generating endless content, let this be a refreshing connection to a real person, creating real art, in real time, and contemplating a real God.
The 8 Episodes
The Final Session of Our Summer Journey | Illustrating Colossians 2:6-7
What does it mean to be rooted, built up, and established in the faith? In the finale of The Summer Journey of Art & Scripture, we take a look at a brand-new comic book commentary created for Faith Lead Academy. Step inside the studio to explore Koine Greek syntax, first-century Roman history, and a hands-on digital painting workshop on the iPad—all leading to a life abounding in thanksgiving.
Established in the Faith | A Visual Meditation on Colossians 2:7
Is faith a rigid concrete monument or a relational place of safety? In this session, I redraw a pivotal section of Colossians 2:6–7 in Procreate. Discover how secondary color theology, the Greek concept of pistis (trust), and a pair of cupped hands transform our understanding of resting in God’s care.
Drawing the Canaanite Woman in Matthew 15
n this Art Pastor Live session, we wrestle with Matthew 15 and the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. Stepping away from traditional painting, we experiment with comic layouts in Clip Studio Paint to explore how sequential art helps us slow down, cross boundaries, and pay attention to everyone.
Jesus Walks on Water | A Contemplative Art Experience
Welcome back to the Art Pastor Live summer journey through scripture and art! I’m Steve Thomason—pastor, visual artist, and professor of spiritual formation at Luther Seminary. Every week, we gather in real time to explore the intersection of art and theology, pushing...
Twelve Baskets Left Over | A Contemplative Art Experience in Isaiah 55 and Matthew 14
In a world driven by social media algorithms, *Art Pastor Live* slows down to contemplate Scripture through visual art. Explore Isaiah 55 and Matthew 14 as we uncover how God’s abundant feast emerges in the deepest shadows of grief and tyranny, transforming simple fish and loaves into 12 baskets of grace.
Is Life a Line or a Circle? | A Contemplative Art Experience
What if the way you measure your spiritual growth is based on a flawed concept of time?
In our fast-paced, modern culture, we are subtly trained to view life as a straight line. We draw charts, track metrics, and calculate progress on an upward, left-to-right slope. We treat spiritual formation like a ladder: you start at the bottom as a struggling novice and climb toward efficiency, agency, and spiritual perfection.
But when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he rarely uses the language of industrial progress or linear ladders. Instead, he talks about seeds quietly dying in dirt, yeast permeating dough, nets cast into mysterious depths, and tiny mustard grains expanding into sheltering trees.
In this Art Pastor Live session, we explored Matthew 13 alongside reflections on how different cultures understand time. By pairing Jesus’ parables with visual art, we paused to ask a fundamental question: Is life a line or a circle—and how does the Kingdom of God grow within us?
Painting Psalm 139 | A Live Contemplative Art Experience
On Thursday, July 16 at 4:00pm CT I livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for an hour. This contemplative session reflects Psalm 139:1-24. The art is created in the Procreate app on my iPad Pro....
Illustrating Exodus 34:6-7 | A Live Contemplative Art Experience
On Thursday, July 9 at 4:00pm CT I livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for an hour. This contemplative session reflects Exodus 34:6-7. Learn more here. The art is created in the Procreate app on my iPad Pro....