November 11, 2021

Columbus State alumnus and Army veteran Steve Tette’s work is being seen by hundreds of millions of Google users on Thursday, Nov. 11. The American realist artist was chosen to design the “Google Doodle” for Veterans Day. The doodles are a Google program to alter the search engine’s logo in celebration of holidays, anniversaries and the lives of influential individuals. 

“It all happened really quickly,” said Tette, a 2010 and 2013 graduate of CSU’s art education program. “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 provided Tette with samples of his own work that they liked and asked him to create three preliminary drawings for consideration. Tette couldn’t choose just three from the dozen he created, so he sent four. And, Google couldn’t choose either, so they had him work on two different designs. Together, they finally narrowed down the options to a single design that Tette painted on a canvas nearly five feet in length.

Tette’s Veterans Day image depicts a large American flag, the Google logo and veterans from each of the nation’s six military branches dressed splitly in 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. 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. And, 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 tight deadline to get the painting finished, photographed and sent to Google made Tette initially decide to paint in acrylic, instead of his preferred oil. 

“Acrylic dries so much faster, but it’s flat,” he said. “After I did that first acrylic layer, I decided I had to finish it in oil to truly represent what Google loved about my work. I was working 16-hour days to get it done.”

The oil painting was still wet when it was photographed, but Tette says it was well worth it. “I’m a perfectionist and I think that’s what Google found fascinating about my other works. 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.”

Tette’s Veterans Day painting has even more meaning because he spent 20 years serving in the Army before retiring and pursuing art. He earned his associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees at CSU and says the education he received made him a stronger artist.

“As an artist I was always talented, however what the Art Department did for me is they educated me on my place in the art world as an American realist. I could’ve painted the rest of my life but if I didn’t know where my paintings fell, how could I truly explain to someone what I’ve done? It’s the education of the artist that has been the most important to me.”

CSU associate professor Orion Wertz had Tette in several of his painting classes and said he’s an example to young artists in the college.

“With art students, the goal is for everyone to be completely different when they leave here, and to be able to have their work face the public and Steve is a really good example of being able to do that,” Wertz said.

Tette is local to the Columbus area but his work has been sold nationwide, earning awards and hanging in esteemed places including the Georgia governor’s offices. He is also a contributor to Black Art in America, a Columbus-based organization that seeks to document, preserve and promote the contributions of the African American arts community.

In June 2021, he publicly revealed his portrait of the late Mrs. Mary Lee Hall Bussey, who served as superintendent of segregated schools in Muscogee County in the 1950s and 1960s. The portrait is now on display at the Muscogee County Public Education Center.

You can view Tette’s Google Doodle, here: https://www.google.com/doodles/veterans-day-2021