Dudley was raised in Columbus, Montana and first graduated in Pharmacy from the University of Montana in 1969.  He then worked in retail management in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming for several years before returning to the University of Montana in 1984.  In 1989 he received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. During that time he also studied photography at the University of Montana with Dick Reinholz and with selected teachers including Galen Rowell, Gary Smith, and Jill Enfield.

Dudley has been represented by several Montana art galleries throughout the years. His work has been exhibited at the Hockaday Art Museum in Kalispell, the University of Montana Museum of Art and Culture, the Yellowstone Art Museum, the Missoula Art Museum, and the Corbin Art Center in Spokane.  Most recently Dudley and his wife, the writer Candace Crosby, were featured jointly in an exhibition on China at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena.

His work is included in collections of The University of Montana School of Law, the University of Montana School of Health Sciences, the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Canadian Supreme Court, St. Patrick Hospital and Western Montana Clinic.  Interestingly, his photography is also included in the collections of the two opposing attorneys who argued the famous Bush – Gore case before the Supreme Court in 2000.

Dudley was selected to be Artist in Residence in Glacier Park in 2000, Resident Artist at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming in 2002 and Artist in Residence at Provincetown Dunes National Seashore in 2008.

He maintains a private practice in Clinical Psychology. Dudley and his wife, Candace, own the Dana Gallery in Missoula, a large and flourishing eclectic art gallery.  The Dana focuses on paintings and represents over 30 artists from Montana and 17 other US states.