Painter and printmaker Donald Squibb Sutphin was born 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his pursuit of art in grade school, drawing when and wherever he could, even to his educational detriment. He was sent to military school when his grades were deemed insufficient, and at just 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return he utilized the G.I. bill to enroll at the Boston Museum School, where he concentrated on printmaking.

Sutphin’s time in the military had exposed him to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, for which he developed an affinity. After studying for a year at the Art Students League of New York in 1954, under George Grosz, Sutphin moved to Italy. There he would remain until the end of his life.

Sutphin taught Art History at the American School in Florence; he was often known for mentoring other American artists that had traveled abroad for inspiration. He would go on to exhibit internationally, including Bonfoey Gallery in Tucson, AZ; Kunsthandel Liernur, the Hague, Netherlands; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Halle Gallery, Munich, Germany. He was represented by the American Associated Artists in New York.

Sutphin died in Florence, Italy, in March of 2015.