Jimmy Lee Sudduth

If ever there existed a time when people named their dogs Toto and their children "Jimmy Lee," Jimmy Lee Sudduth's paintings, which draw on his Alabama upbringing, attest to it in the most Southern way possible: with mud and molasses on plywood. When he was young and able, Sudduth used to gather berries and grass for pigment in place of acrylics; now 95, he paints mostly in two dimensions, mixing mud with acrylics, and with the subject in center position. This highlights the simple beauty of his autobiographical work. His portrait of his deceased dog (Toto), in which all four legs are visible in the foreground, and a simplified self-portrait are essentials of Sudduth's frame-by-frame approach. His three-dimensional farmhouse landscapes are decidedly more complex but still make use of the same directness. All the paintings bear the endearing pride of his carefully signed name in chalk. Garde Rail Gallery, Tashiro-Kaplan Building, 110 Third Ave. S., 206-621-1055, www.garde-rail.com. 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Nov. 12.