Jimmy Lee Sudduth Tribute

Jimmy passed away 9/2/07 -- Huge Loss For Us All!!!

Hi! I enjoyed your website today, I was seeking it out because my
friend and mentor Jimmy Lee Sudduth passed away this weekend in Fayette
at the Nursing Home.

Just thought you'd like to know. He gave me several works when I was a
7th grade art student in 1984, and I would go walk to his house
after school and spent many an hour with him and his bedridden wife at
their little cottage off Columbus Street in Fayette. He was so proud of
the dirt folks would send him from all over the world (Mr. St. Helen,
the Holy Land, Hawaii, etc!) and loved sharing his craft with others
especially children.

Thank you for promoting this dear man.

God bless,
Shannon Thompson Andress

Dear Shannon,
I am so sorry to hear this! I met Jimmy and also have the best memories of him; I loved him and have the best photo of him hugging me at age 94!! I always tell people he is my boyfriend because of this incident!! I will write something about our wonderful friend and this amazing soul on my site!! May I post this e-mail from you on the site also?? Thanks, Kelly Futerer (Owner of The Outsiders art Gallery, CT.)

Well I would be honored for you to include my note about Jimmy Lee....I
love your website and did not know it was called Outsider Art, we always
just called it folk art.

I met Jimmy Lee Sudduth and Brother Ben Perkins (another Outsider
Artist) - both were Fayette residents - at the Fayette Art Festival
in 1976 on the grounds of Brewer State Junior College (now Bevill State)
when I was 10 or so. They had exhibits set up, and for the most part
they were VERY unappreciated at the time. Jimmy Lee loved children and
children loved him. We'd sit on the ground and he'd entertain us with
his harmonica and he'd grab hunks of grass to embellish his paintings.
He'd have jars of various-colored dirt, a can of axle grease, and a tin
of sorghum molasses... and would talk and paint, play the harmonica,
tell stories, and paint some more. He encouraged the children to get
dirty and mix the dirt-syrup on the ground with our fingers like he did,
and he encouraged us to contribute to his "canvas" (usually a piece of
scrap wood, whatever he could salvage). Great memories.

So when I took art lessons at age 12 from local artist June Duckworth
(of no renown, just a nice lady) she took us on a field trip to Jimmy
Lee's where I became reacquainted with him. After that I frequently
walked to his house after school, since it was right behind my Momma's
office at the County Courthouse Annex. His humble little house always
smelled of snuff and greens, he kept a coffee can full of water on the
space heater "to keep the air from being too dry" (as IF we needed more
in Alabama, haha). His little kitchen was FILLED with jars and vials
and bottles of DIRT from all over the world. Every time I left his
house he tried to give me a painting, I only took a few of the ones he
tried to give me - and, I really did it to keep from hurting his
feelings more than because I really wanted them - I had NO idea how
significant they were at the time, I was but a child. He was a
GENEROUS, kind and unselfishly joyful person who lived for his craft,
and loved to share with others. He was a rare treasure, God's special
gift to us, a lesson in humility and sweetness.

Only this weekend I went to Fayette to visit my Mom, to help her with
my grandmother Edna Boman Sander's 100th birthday party (!) ... I told
my husband about Jimmy Lee, and that I felt the urge to go see him at
the nursing home where he resided, but my husband said: "We don't have
time to go by there, besides he probably wouldnt remember you!". I said
"It doesn't matter, I just would love to thank him for being so kind to
me and for babysitting me those times I am sure I pestered him after
school!" OH how I regret it now. Perhaps the Lord put Jimmy Lee on my
mind and heart because He knew He was calling him home.

When I got home Sunday night (not knowing of his passing) I pulled out
the paintings he gave me and wondering what in the world I would do with
them, remembering him and his sweet wife with great affection.

Thanks for letting me share with you! His memory fills me with joy!
God bless,
Shannon Andress

the iO gallery
131 Kent Road South
Cornwall Bridge CT, 06754
(860) 672 6631

kelly@theiogallery.com