Day 3 of our Ocean Springs adventure was filled with culture and discovery We began with a hearty breakfast at Blue Dog Cafe – I opted for avocado toast while Bill went with a more traditional feast!
Since it was cloudy with off and on drizzle, we decided to visit the Walter Anderson Museum, located in downtown Ocean Springs. Even with a college course in Art History under my belt, I admit neither Bill nor I had ever heard of the artist, Walter Anderson, but within the next few hours we certainly learned a lot about him, and this quote on the museum wall explains him very well! After watching an hour long documentary on Anderson, we were ready to take on his works, which ranged from small ceramic figurines that he called “widgets” to block prints to ambitious murals.
In a nutshell, Walter Anderson was an eccentric individual…
- He lived from 1903 until 1965, dying of cancer.
- He spent months at a time away from his wife and four children on Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi. He would spend his days examining nature and birds and sea creatures and would live under the small boat he would row out to the island.
- He spent numerous stints in psychiatric facilities – he would self commit and then would often escape when he felt he was ready by stringing bed sheets together and repelling down the side of the building.
- On one of his escapes he took a bar of Ivory soap with him and drew birds on the building as he made his way down.
- In his hometown of Ocean Springs, he was commissioned to adorn the walls of the Community Center with murals. He received one dollar for this artwork which still lives on those walls as you can see.
- After his death, over 2,000 drawings were found in a locked chest in the “little room” he used as a studio.
- He was instrumental in a family pottery business which was begun by his brother Peter. Shearwater Pottery still exists – We visited the pottery gallery also and met Walter Anderson’s daughter, Leif. I recognized her from the documentary we had viewed in the museum and was thrilled to meet her – a classically trained ballerina – along with her granddaughter Julia. Julia manages the Shearwater gallery.
- Walter Anderson was also a bicyclist aficionado, and cycled extensively through China and Costa Rica.
- Rumor has it that he even walked from Maryland back to Mississippi!
Did you think I was kidding when I said he was eccentric? But just think about all of the brilliant artists who share similar characteristics? We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Walter Anderson and certainly admire his work!
We ended our cultural day with dinner at yet another downtown Ocean Springs restaurant, Murky Waters, a BBQ establishment, where we also took in some local talent.
Three days down; two to go!
thervdreamlife 