Jimmy Lee Sudduth, the son of a farmer, made his first drawings on tree trunks while following his mother, a healer, as she gathe red plants. His talents were quickly recognized in his community. He worked in a mill in LaFayette and did small handyman and gardening jobs. He painted with his fingers on recycled surfaces like plywood, using pigments, clay, rocks, and plants, with various binders such as sorghum syrup, soda, or coffee. His early works combined mud, pigments, house paint, motor oil, and plant juices. In the 1990s, influenced by gallery owners, he began using acrylics applied with a sponge brush on prepared wood. His themes reflect his daily life: friends and celebrities seen on television, farm scenes, machines, flowers, his dog Toto, and urban views inspired by postcards. His work remains deeply rooted in the African-American culture of the rural South.