Art is everywhere, it’s even hanging on the entry wall of your search engine. Have you viewed the online art gallery happening on Google’s homepage? Today it’s a static image celebrating the 115th Anniversary of the Discovery of X-Rays,

but on October 9 it was a beautiful, animated illustration honoring John Lennon’s birthday which had to be approved by EMI Music and then Yoko Ono herself.

According to Mike Dutton, the member of Google’s five person Doodling team who was assigned to create the Lennon doodle, “I was inspired by [John Lennon’s] self-portrait.”

Dutton continues, “Our doodles can sometimes be these very painterly, detailed compositions, which is great for the occasions we are creating them for. But there’s a running joke that sometimes there’s nothing very “doodle-ish” about them! John’s sketch, on the other hand, is really just that — it’s a doodle. I wanted to carry that quality over into the animated sequence. I wanted it to be “doodley” with loose, gestural line work, while also having it be something viewers could easily relate to and identify with.”

When asked by the blog CulturePop, “Which visual artists inspire you?” Dutton said, “Originally, illustrators from the golden age, like Norman Rockwell and NC Wyeth. Now I look at contemporary children’s book illustrators like Charley Harper, whose style has more of a design/fine art fusion. I also like the French children’s book illustrator Rebecca Dautremer.”

Dutton further explains what’s in his artist’s tool kit, “A giant digital drawing tablet that Google provides me. I’m able to mimic the properties of traditional art mediums digitally. I always have a set of gouache paints in a bag and a sketchbook, but I don’t always have time to open my sketchbook.”

So, yet again the concept of the term ‘gallery’ has been reinvented. From the comfort of your own couch, desk, or iPhone you can view, shop for, and buy art. (Wink, wink.) Isn’t technology wonderful?