Jimmy Lee Sudduth

1910-2007

As a child in the American South, Jimmy Lee Sudduth discovered the secret qualities of nature’s palette when he went collecting healing plants with his mother, an herbalist, in the woods near their home. He became fascinated by the possibilities of using mud to create hues. For staining and color, he would grind grass, berries, walnut husks, and even coffee and soot into mud. His technique involved outlining the design of the painting with a soft stone he called “dye rock”, creating a heavy earthy line. He then put mud onto plywood, rubbing plants and berries into it when dry to create a range of natural colors, from yellows and reds to browns and greens. He also experimented with house paint. Sudduth’s hands were his brushes, his fingers as delicate as the finest. His lively style of working reflected the delight he experienced when painting. His subject matter remained consistently focused on local churches and houses in Lafayette, local people and their animals (including his own dog Toto), and self-portraits with his banjo (he was an accomplished musician from an early age). His flower paintings, executed on vertical panels, with white blob-flowers and splatter paint effects, were reminiscent of sophisticated traditional Chinese paintings. ¹