Robert Sudlow was born on February 25, 1920, in Holton, Kansas. Growing up as a child in rural Kansas, he fell in love with the picturesque beauty of the rolling plains. Sudlow enrolled at the University of Kansas to study art and painting under Albert Bloch. While serving in the U.S. Navy as a pilot, he continued to paint numerous watercolors of swamps, beaches, airfields, and romantic landscapes. After serving in the Navy, he continued his academia in Paris and California. He was appointed an associate professor at the University of Kansas in 1962. Sudlow traveled internationally to expand his artistic expertise. His striking paintings range in mediums from oil paints on canvas and paper to watercolors and lithographs. Oils were Sudlow's predominant medium. Several of his landscapes depict the Osage Cuesta and Flint Hills characteristics of Kansas. The Hadley Art Collection showcases two of his pieces.