This Columbus artist, Army veteran designed the ‘Google Doodle’ for Veterans Day
A Columbus artist and Army veteran’s design will be seen by millions of users this Veterans Day.
Steve Tette, a 2010 and 2013 graduate of Columbus State University’s art education program, was chosen to design the “Google Doodle” for Veterans Day, according to a news release from CSU. Tette spent 20 years serving in the Army before retiring and pursuing art.
The doodles, published on google.com, usually mark the celebration of holidays, anniversaries and the lives of influential individuals.
“It all happened really quickly,” Tette said in the release. “I got an email in early October out of the blue and of course jumped at the opportunity. Google is the world’s largest platform for visual art, so how could I say no?”
Google gave Tette samples of his own work that they liked and asked him to create three Veterans Day drawings for consideration. Tette couldn’t choose just three from the dozen he created, so he sent four. After Tette created two new designs, they finally narrowed down the options to a single design that Tette painted on a canvas nearly5 feet in length.
Tette’s Veterans Day image shows an American flag, the Google logo and veterans from each of the nation’s six military branches dressed in both their military uniform and civilian job outfit. The men and women represent diverse ethnicities, ages and civilian occupations, something Tette and Google wanted to make sure were depicted, according to the release.
The Air Force-pilot-turned-artist, Marine-turned-teacher, Navy Seaman-turned-businessman, Coast Guardsman-turned doctor and Army soldier-turned-amputee-biker represent the daily sacrifices made by members of the U.S. military, the release said.
The last figure, the Space Force Guardian-turned-baker, was inspired by Tette’s former professor, Hannah Israel, CSU’s director of the Illges Gallery.
The oil painting was still wet when it was photographed, due to the tight deadline. Tette said he worked for 16 hours some days to get it finished.
“I’m a perfectionist and I think that’s what Google found fascinating about my other works,” Tette said. “When I paint, I want it to be right. And this painting is full of so many small details that I wanted to put there for whoever decides to look for them.”
Not his first big project
Tette was commissioned to create a portrait of the woman who led Columbus’ Black schools during segregation earlier this year.
In June 2021, he unveiled his portrait of the late Mary Lee Hall Bussey, who served as superintendent of segregated schools in Muscogee County in the 1950s and 1960s. The portrait is on display at the Muscogee County Public Education Center.
“I’ve been able to connect people to almost a forgotten or lost past,” Tette previously told the Ledger-Enquirer. “And, we don’t want it lost, we don’t want it forgotten. We want to remember because it’s worth remembering.”
