ᎩᎳᎪᎨ Gilagoge (Spring)
Jerry Sutton
Cherokee Nation
Jerry Sutton is a Cherokee painter, photographer and flute maker who views the traditions, evolving cultural history and endangered natural heritage of Cherokees through a contemporary lens. His examination of Cherokee woodlands, wildlife and people ranges from detailed representational imagery to colorful abstract expressionism.
“I always want to evoke emotion through color and form, always seek the universal within the microcosm, always struggle to release the poetry that exists outside of words.” – Jerry Sutton
Sutton is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He studied painting at the University of Oklahoma and Northeastern Oklahoma University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1976. His recent awards include Best of Show at the 2025 Trail of Tears Art Show, Second Place (Painting) at the 2023 Trail of Tears Art Show, Best of Show at the 2020 Trail of Tears Art Show, Second Place (Mixed Media) at the 2019 Cherokee Art Market and First Place (Musical Instruments) at the 2019 Artesian Festival in Sulphur, Oklahoma.
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