New Orleans road trip - Day 17 - Biloxi

The day started with dense fog but it burned off and Aimee and I set off to find the Walter Anderson Museum. I had been particularly impressed with the examples of his work that I had seen in the Ogden Museum in New Orleans and when I looked him up I found that he had lived in Ocean Springs, right across the bay from Biloxi.

Ocean Springs turned out to be a lovely little community. It was neat and tidy, not wealthy but not poor, with a sense of pride in the homes and public spaces. The museum was right on the main street.

He was a writer and an artist and quotes were scattered among the paintings. This one was particularly interesting as he spent a number of years, later in his life, voluntarily in mental hospitals, struggling with schizophrenia.

We were lucky to arrive just as a tour was starting and the first stop was the community centre next to the museum. Walter Anderson had painted a mural that circled the 4 walls. He believed that it was an artists duty to produce art for the community and in turn the community should leave him alone to pursue the painting he wanted to do for himself.

In the mural he depicted the history of Ocean Spring, the seasons,

and the floral and fauna.

His father was an affluent businessman in New Orleans and his mother, an artist, insisted that her 3 sons write 500 words a day and produce drawings of their surroundings.

He went on to get a fine arts degree and drew heavily on Egyptian,

Mexican, Mayan and Chinese influences.

He married and had children but was drawn to the barrier islands off the coast

and spent more and more time there, rarely seeing his children for the last 20 years of his life.

When on the mainland he moved into a cottage on the family property where his older brother had started a pottery business.

In order to provide for his family he was required to create designs for the pottery business which he did once a month and then left again for the islands. This is a butterfly design he created for a plate.

A tea pot he designed.

In the cottage was a room that no-one in the family had been into until after he died. When they unlocked the door they found that he had painted the whole room. From floor

to ceiling. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed or damaged much of the family compound and Shearwater pottery, the family had this room dismantled and moved into town as the start of the museum.

His sketch for a border. He worked in pencil, watercolour, ordinary house paint (for the murals), block and linoleum prints. He made wooden furniture and carved wood. He was very prolific, often producing 5 paintings a day and much of his work was lost during Hurricane Katrina.

The museum also had examples of Shearwater pottery from other designers (mostly family members)

Seagulls plate design, 1939, Dusti Bonge. An artists colony grew out of the Shearwater Pottery and designed for them.

Schooner plate design, Dusti Bonge.

We went out to the Shearwater pottery but were not that impressed by what was for sale. These little figures are made from molds created in the 1920's when people were beginning to collect little figurines. It was lovely though to experience the tranquility of the place. The children and grandchildren continue to live and work there.

Just out of the driveway we pulled into a little park so I could take pictures

of the shrimp boats with their elegant draped nets

and complicated rigging.

A kingfisher flew off, loudly annoyed with me, but the pelican was unconcerned.

Aimee and I sat in the park for a bit, enjoying the peaceful surroundings

Aimee saw storks flying overhead and we watched the heron fishing on the opposite bank.

We watched Pelicans and Anhingas.

We parked in downtown Ocean Springs and wandered in and out of the shops. It was the local equivalent of Niagara-on-the-lake, lovely things but pricey.  The squirrels here are considerably smaller than our Southern Ontario ones. I am not sure if this is a Fox Squirrel of an Eastern Grey Squirrel.

We drove home and picked up Greg who had walked down to the local souvenir shop (45 miles according to him, one way. It was actually 1.5 miles one way) for some gifts to take home.

Someone that Greg had been talking to had recommended Bozo's for good seafood and although it was about a half an hours drive it was well worth it. This is Aimee's Royal Red platter with the shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn.

My BBQ shrimp with 2 sides (sauteed green beans and fried okra).