Even though Google may be taking over the world and all, I do so enjoy their Google doodles about people of importance. Often they choose lesser known figures who have made a great impact in some way.

Recently, Google featured Tyrus Wong, a Chinese-American artist, who passed away a couple years back. I’d never heard of him before but I’m glad I know of him now. 

Tyrus was the driving creative force behind the animated Disney movie, Bambi. He was also a major influence on the artistic direction of movies like Rebel Without a Cause, and his work can be found in many household items such as dish wear and greeting cards. Besides all that, he also designed really fantastic kites that look like animals.

Turns out he had a pretty hard go of things in the US, traveling here with his father as a young boy, leaving the rest of his family behind. He endured a lot of racism and didn’t receive much recognition until later in life (he lived to 106). But his work has now made it into museums alongside some other greats like Picasso and Matisse.

Besides being in awe of the man’s brushwork, I always appreciate creatives who are good at more than just one thing. Hey, why not be a painter of movies and dinnerware as well as a kite maker? As I’ve found while working on writing and game design, creativity has so many applications. Why limit yourself to one? Just don’t try to do them all at once.

There isn’t much more to this post than to say you should look the guy up, just do an image search of “Tyrus Wong” and be amazed.