HOW DO THE VISUAL ARTS fit into the Christian faith? Better said, how do they fit into the mission of God in the world? Far too often the arts—and more tragically, the artists—have been ignored (sometimes actively rejected) by the Christian church. But it was God who created a world “pleasing to the eye”—not just “good for food.” It was Jesus who said “consider the lilies of the field and birds of the air”—not just consider the laws and precepts. The Word is foundational but remember: "The Word was made flesh and we beheld his glory.” Our artists today have the incredible “ministry” of bring truth and reality into our image-saturated culture. Join us for an exciting exploration of the interface of art and theology—of the meaning of workplace discipleship for the artist with one of the top creature designers and animal anatomists working in the field today, TERRYL WHITLATCH—recipient of the 2020 Spectrum Fantastic Art Grandmaster Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sci Fi and Fantasy Illustration.


Terryl was the principal creature designer for Star Wars — the Phantom Menace. She designed most of the alien characters and creatures, from concept to fully realized anatomies and stylizations. Some of the significant characters include Jar-Jar Binx, Sebulba, the pod racers, the undersea monsters of Naboo, and the Naboo Swamp creatures. She also worked closely with George Lucas in the redesign of such pre-existing characters as Jabba the Hutt and the dewbacks.

She also is the creator and illustrator of the following books: The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, The Katurran Odyssey, Animals Real and Imagined. Two newer titles, Science of Creature Design and Principles of Creature Design, were released in November 2015.