Rudi Patterson was born in Duckenfield, St Thomas, Jamaica on 29 September 1933 and came to London in the late 1950s as part of the early Windrush generation. Patterson was a self-taught artist, remembered for his vivid and lush depictions of nature and gardens. Widely exhibited, during his lifetime, he showed with the Afro-Carribean Group and in a number of exhibitions at the Commonwealth Institue, among other venues.
Painter, potter, actor and model, Rudi Patterson was born in a sugar plantation village of Duckenfield, St Thomas, Jamaica, at the foot of the Blue Mountains on 29 September 1933. He grew up close to a botanical garden, which became central to his later practice, and studied in Kingston before migrating to London in the late 1950s, forming part of the early Windrush generation. Although he arrived with few resources, Patterson quickly carved out a place for himself in the capital’s cultural scene. Initially training at the Royal Academy of Dramtic Art (RADA), he soon appeared in major theatre and television productions, including Z Cars, The Professionals, and Two a Penny opposite Cliff Richard. Patterson was also cast in the Rolling Stones’ 1968 film Sympathy for the Devil and modelled for leading brands, including British Airways and Mr Fish, an uncommon feat for a Black model at the time. Through these roles, he became a recognised figure in the Swinging Sixties, navigating London’s vibrant artistic, theatrical and fashion milieus.
Despite his acting success, it was painting that became Patterson’s enduring pursuit. Entirely self-taught, he began painting in the late 1960s and developed a deep commitment to visual art after breaking his neck in a water-skiing accident in 1973. While recovering, he began to paint intensively, and from this period onwards, visual expression became central to his daily life. Drawing on childhood memories of the Caribbean, Patterson conjured vivid, imaginary landscapes, gardens, and interiors, produced largely from a series of small council flats in North Kensington. He worked with oil, gouache, watercolour and clay, producing thousands of paintings and ceramic pieces over the next four decades. Despite their urban setting, his homes brimmed with tropical plants, echoing the botanical richness of his canvases. The bold colours and intuitive brushwork of his paintings brought to life hibiscus, breadfruit, winding paths and ocean views, with a visual language that merged African diasporic memory with European and Caribbean influences.
Formally, Patterson’s paintings are defined by their rhythmic compositions, with plant life dominating the visual field in a profusion of patterned leaves and floral bursts, rendered in heightened and often unnaturalistic hues. Figurative elements, when present, are stylised and schematic, offering narrative vignettes that evoke quotidian life in the Caribbean. Architectural forms, from plantation houses to village dwellings or verandas, are placed within lush, teeming surrounds, suggesting an Arcadian harmony between built and natural environments. Perspective is collapsed or non-linear, prioritising surface design over illusionistic depth. This produces a flattened image, reminiscent of both folk art traditions and post-impressionist modernism, while remaining distinct from either. His ceramic works, including platters and vessels, shared this attention to colour and form, often glazed with the same vibrant palette.
Patterson began exhibiting in London in 1970 and his career soon took on international scope. Over the years he held more than 40 exhibitions, with solo and group shows across the UK and as far afield as New York, Bahrain, Malta, Melbourne and Ocho Rios (although specific details are unconfirmed). His works found a devoted following, with collectors including Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Twiggy, Andy Williams, and a number of Jamaican officials. The painting Arcadia, now part of the Garden Museum’s collection, exemplifies his signature evocation of an idealised, tropical homeland. In 2014, a major retrospective was held at Leighton House Museum, co-curated by Wesley Kerr and Novelette-Aldoni Stewart, in collaboration with the Black Cultural Archives. Many of the works had never been publicly exhibited before and were found in his flat following his death. That year, a new selling exhibition was mounted at the Garden Museum, and a commemorative evening of talks, music, and discussion celebrated Patterson’s legacy and cultural contribution to both Jamaica and Britain.
Patterson saw London as a home as much as a launchpad. He was embedded in its postwar transformation, witnessing the city's shift from imperial centre to multicultural metropolis. He lived through pivotal decades in Notting Hill, from the early days of the Carnival to the uprisings of the 1980s, and his work reflects a deeply personal reconciliation between Caribbean memory and British urban life. His artistic vocabulary was shaped as much by adversity as it was by joy, and he continued to paint through periods of physical pain and marginalisation. Though his art depicted faraway landscapes, they were rooted in his experience of diasporic dislocation, and in his belief in beauty as a form of resistance. Rudi Patterson died in North Kensington, London, England on 23 July 2013. In the UK public domain, his work is held in London in the collections of the Garden Museum and the Black Cultural Archives.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Rudi Patterson]
Publications related to [Rudi Patterson] in the Ben Uri Library