We left Knoxville on Saturday, May 11, just in time to miss the Northern Lights show that will probably never hover over us again. Oh, well, timing is everything, right? Our usual first stop when traveling the southern route to the west is Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. We only visit for one night, but five hours from Knoxville, it’s convenient for a one-nighter.
We got up early the next day and headed for Biloxi, Mississippi, to spend three nights looking for sun and friendly casinos. The sun cooperated. On our third day in Biloxi, Helen wanted to drive the short distance to Ocean Springs, MS, to tour a museum that Janet, her pottery instructor, had suggested–The Walter Inglis Anderson Museum of Art, known for its unique collection of Anderson’s works.
Museums are not usually my preferred choice for recreation, but I recently purchased a new prime lens for my DSLR (85mm f1:1.8) and was eager to try it out on some closeups. I drove while Helen worked Wordle. The museum was busy, but I found a personal connection with Anderson’s art that made the visit more enjoyable.
Walter Anderson (1903 – 1965) was born in New Orleans and spent much of his youth there. In 1922, he entered The New York School of Fine Art and later the Pennsylvania School of Fine Arts, where he studied modernism under some well-known artists who painted in that style. From Pennsylvania, he received a scholarship to study in France, where he was impressed by cave drawings, which later influenced his style. From there, Anderson moved to Ocean Springs to work in Shearwater Pottery, a family business started by his brother. Income from the pottery allowed him to marry and raise a family. Walter hated working in the pottery.
He preferred to be alone on Horn Island, where he studied the birds and wildlife and would also draw and write.
I was impressed by his art and his life. The museum displayed his drawings and murals alongside narratives about the works and excerpts from the hundreds of logbooks he kept during his life. Anderson was very creative, and his brightly colored paintings were fabulous. One of his most famous works was the murals he painted inside the Ocean Springs Community Center. The entire room was Anderson’s palette except for a small unfinished area over a window.
Walter died in 1965 from lung cancer. After his death, his wife cut off the lock of a door into a small room of his studio and found the entire room covered in murals. Paint splatters covered the floor. She also found hundreds of paintings and his logbooks and preserved them for a museum. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina, a devastating natural disaster, destroyed some of his work when Shearwater Pottery stood in the hurricane’s path, removing some of his artistic legacy.
I’ve shared some pictures from the museum, both above and below. I hope you enjoy them. Please click on any of them to enlarge.
After our museum tour, we visited Shearwater Pottery to look around. A delightful lady named Laura greeted us and pointed out several pieces as examples of items available. Helen found a clay cat she liked as a gift for our granddaughter, a cat lover. Laura explained that the cats would be fired that afternoon, and she would send a picture for Helen to choose the one she wanted. The picture came via email the next day. Helen chose two–the third from the left (dragonfly on the chest) and the brightly colored blue and yellow piece (fourth from the right). Laura shipped them that afternoon.
Because the casinos in Biloxi weren’t kind to us, we decided to drive nine miles further to Gulfport and did much better. We like Gulfport and should have camped there, but that’s hindsight.
We drove to Iowa, LA, on Wednesday and spent the night in Blue Heron RV Park. This lovely campground is about fifteen miles from Lake Charles, LA. Before we left on Thursday morning, John, the campground owner, stopped by our trailer to thank us for camping there. He was a true Southern gentleman.
Thanks for traveling with us. We hope to reach San Diego by June 1, but we’ll stay in touch as we Ease Along. Next up–Galveston and San Antonio.
Good morning, Joe. How fun that you’re on the road again! I enjoyed reading your wonderful post about your visit to Ocean Springs. We discovered the cute little town and Walter Inglis Anderson’s work about 10 years ago and have made a couple of trips there. I was so intrigued with his art and his life that I wrote an entire post about him.
Over the years, we’ve collected several of his prints as well as a ceramic pelican from Shearwater Pottery. We’re hoping to return this winter, and I need to get a cat for our collection! Happy and safe travels!
Hello!
I’m not usually a museum kinda guy, but I found Walter’s life and art fascinating. His locked room in a cottage must have been a real surprise to his wife…talk about a man cave!! We think Ocean Springs would be a nice town to explore further and plan to do so on our next trip west. We always head south first. Great to hear from you. I’m sure you’re looking forward to your first real summer in the new home. Enjoy! Joe
Just loved the article about Walter Anderson! I’d never heard of him, and I am a museum nerd of the highest order! (Austin and I ducked into a Stained Glass Museum in Porto, Portugal and had a great experience two weeks ago!) Thanks for all the interesting photos. Can’t wait to see the cats!
Good afternoon,
I’m pretty protective of my time on road trips, but our friend, Janet, really knows her stuff regarding pottery and art, so we felt we should check it out. I found it fascinating and a great way to spend an afternoon. I had never heard of Walter Anderson either, but he was a prolific artist, and I plan to dig a little deeper into his life and art. Glad you and Austin had fun–the trip sounded delightful. See you soon, I hope. Joe
Like minds – a couple of months ago I to bought a prime lens almost identical to yours. I have found it somewhat challenging to use because I’m so used to shooting with a zoom. Guess there’s a learning curve. It does produce awesome bekah though. Safe travels west!
Hi, Ingrid,
Last month I came across a great deal on a slightly used Canon 6D Mark II and had to have it. You know what happens next…a lens upgrade. I found the 85mm from an equipment re-sale house, and a renewed Canon 70-200mm f2.8 on Amazon. Both are in excellent condition. Next, I found a Canon 24-105mm f4 on Facebook Marketplace that will ship to my son’s house in CA. I can’t wait to get my hands on it, but I’m done buying equipment (unless I want to sleep on the couch). I’m still learning, but I’m very happy with the lenses and the results so far. Would love to pick your brain sometime. Thanks for checking in…stay with us as we drive west. Joe
How fun to have all this new gear. The only lens still on my radar is a Panasonic 400mm zoom for birding (can’t remember all the specs – 800mm full frame equivalent). I will also buy that used. Can’t wait to see all your images made with your new setup.
Ingrid,
I’ve a long way to go before I get good at birding–and I’m not a young chick anymore LOL. Nevertheless, I love landscape and beachside photography and hope to spend more time in our mountains and in Charleston to work on those skills. I was attracted to your blog through your birding photography and hope you’ll share some tips there for us newbies. All our best! Joe
Joe, I’m always impressed by the creativity exhibited by artists. Can you imagine the images that run through their minds all day long? While my brain is focused on logic, numbers and practicality, artists’ minds are crafting incredible works of art like Anderson’s murals. Artwork like this always amazes me. I find it sad that his day job was one he didn’t enjoy. I wonder how much more he would have loved life if he had been able to blend his work with his art. Safe travels to you and Helen!
Good morning, Mary,
Artists fascinate me. The ability to draw is not in my toolbox. Helen can draw, my oldest son has the gift as do my grandchildren, but they didn’t get it from me. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the skill, and enjoyed seeing Walter Anderson’s work. If you and Alan get to the Mississippi Coast on your way home from Alaska, check out the museum. Great to hear from you. Have a wonderful week! Joe
I loved hearing about your adventures so far, and am excited to be a new Easin’ Along subscriber 🙂 Happy trails!!
Good morning, Rachel,
So excited to have you join us. We’re having a great time, except for Galveston (more to come), so please come back and share the fun. Say hi to everyone of our S.A.I.L. classmates for me, and have a great week. Joe
Hi, Joe and Helen – I’m sad that you missed the Northern Light Show but there will definitely be other opportunities. I keep the free ‘Aurora’ app on my phone and it is excellent at letting me know when I have any chance of seeing a light display in my area.
Good luck with your travels. I look forward to continuing to follow along.
Hi, Donna,
I’m impressed with the hiking that you and Richard are doing. It’s all I can do to walk Mortimer every morning. Nevertheless, we look forward to some beach walking when we get to So. California and maybe I can stretch that into a 5k…occasionally. Thanks so much for checking in, and have a great week. Joe
Joe, I saw your current post and wondered what happened to Biloxi. Well, back up a minute. Anyway… We drove to Buzzy’s for breakfast (touted as best in the area) and walked the little Ocean Springs village. It seems like an up-and-coming ‘artsy’ kind of place and we liked it a lot. Next time we will visit the museum. Do you love your new 85mm? I’m glad Gulfport was kind to you. Happy Travels.
Good afternoon!
I’m glad you checked in because I wanted to hear about your visit. We enjoy the area and will go back. We can camp in military campgrounds in both Biloxi and Gulfport and both are great. Next time, we’ll go to Buzzy’s and you and Malcolm can tour the museum. We’ll trade notes. I promise that you will enjoy the museum. My 85mm is great for closeups, portraits (which I do rarely), and flowers. I’m looking forward to using it in Coronado where the rose gardens are fabulous. We’re in Arizona now, and the scenery is definitely different from Tennessee, but beautiful nonetheless. Have a great week! Joe