Jimmy Lee Sudduth began drawing with mud on trees and stumps as a child. Seeking to make this pigment more permanent, he began experimenting with different binders and eventually settled on sorghum syrup, which he later varied to include almost any sugar-based liquid—from sugar water to Coca-Cola. To tint his paints, he mixed his binders not only with earth pigments, but also experimented with dozens of other everyday colorants—from grass to lawnmower soot— becoming a master of untried technique. He also used commercially available paints, alone or mixed with mud. Sudduth’s skill as a colorist is visible in the contrasts of his unusual palette.

Adapted from “Jimmy Lee Sudduth” by Susan Mitchell Crawley in The Hidden Art (New York: Skira Rizzoli/American Folk Art Museum, 2017), 206–209.