The Museum Saved the Little Room

March 27-31, 2025                                                     Most Recent Posts:
Davis Bayou Campground                       Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore               I Do Love Ocean Springs        
Ocean Springs, Mississippi

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art was, founded in 1991, and is “dedicated to the preservation and celebration of artist-philosopher Walter Anderson (1903-1965).  Anderson’s paintings, drawings, murals, block prints, writings, sculpture, and carvings of coastal plants, animals, landscapes, and people make  him one of the most amazing and unique artists of the 20th century.  His works are astounding. 

The Museum also honors Anderson's brothers, Peter Anderson (1901-1984), master potter and founder of Shearwater Pottery; and James McConnell Anderson (1907-1998), noted painter and ceramist."

As those of you who have read my previous posts about Ocean Springs and Walter Anderson (links above) will know I find him nearly unbelievable.  Not only for the beauty of his art in so many mediums but for his writings.  The museum does not mention him in their description as an author but he certainly was with many of his journals and his philosophy contained in them still in print.  It is the philosopher artist that I love and that shines through in all his works.

The museum is a wonderful tribute to his work and I could spend hours there.  Here is a small sample of pottery, carvings, furniture, ceramics and paintings done by Walter Anderson.

Walter Anderson carved "The Swimmer" out of oak blown down by a 1947 hurricane. It once graced the porch of his cottage, which was heavily damaged by Katrina

Walter Anderson made much of the furniture in his home including this dining table.  Thankfully this and other of his art was in the museum during Hurricane

Look carefully at this painting(s).  I wish I had asked about its composition.
Next time.

Walter Anderson was considered an eccentric by the people of Ocean Springs.  His wife’s book Approaching The Magic Hour makes clear why.  He reminds me of Vincent Van Gogh.   Some people of Ocean Springs would commission  artworks from Anderson to support the family especially during the depression.  A close family friend commissioned him to do a painting of Sunset.  This painting of Horn Island was what he created.  She is reported to have said that Anderson’s color pallet was too other worldly.

Hanging from the ceiling in a hallway outside The Little Room is the skiff that he rowed 12 miles out to Horn Island where he stayed sometimes for weeks sketching and sleeping under the over turned boat.  He did this more than 100 times.

The Little Room was added as an extension to his cottage in 1939.  It was kept locked and only opened after he died.  I can’t even imagine what his wife felt when she first took off the lock and saw the floor to ceiling murals painted on the wooden walls and floors.  They show the transition from dawn to dusk on Horn Island through vibrant colors and natural imagery, plants and animals.  Perhaps he could transport himself back to what he seemed to feel was his Eden on the island  when he was not there.

How lucky that it had been moved to the museum before Hurricane Katrina or it would certainly have been lost.

It is a very little room, perhaps 10x10’ and difficult to show as a room.  It is simply amazing to stand inside and look.

Like the walls of the community center an exhausting space by comparison, it is one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever been inside of.  It brings me to tears looking at the detail and color.  What a genius he was and how troubled.  How grateful I am to his family for sharing his works and bringing so many of them to the museum before they could be lost to the hurricane.

There are a few places in my travels I could visit again and again and this is one of them.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

March 27-31, 2025                                              Most Recent Posts:
Davis Bayou Campground                          I Do Love Ocean Springs
Gulf Islands National Seashore    Walter Anderson and Shearwater Pottery
Ocean Springs, Mississippi

The Davis Bayou Campground in the Gulf Islands National Seashore is for me the perfect place to stay to visit Ocean Springs and all it has to offer.  The Seashore has more to offer than just the campground.   But I do like the campground.  You can judge for yourself. 

Spaces are not on topo of each other.

Though some sections are closer than others.  But I spend little if any time in my site so it’s all fine with me.

As you can see from the map below, Davis Bayou (red arrow) is a tiny part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  This National Seashore is one of the largest National Parks stretching from Mississippi to Florida.  Over 80% of the park is under water. The park includes all the barrier islands off shore which protect the mainland.

One of the first things I always do at any park where I might be able to kayak, is to check out the dock and put in.  

On this day I decided to walk from the campground to the Visitor’s Center and stop at the boat dock on the way.   You can see my route.  I started at the top left blue arrow which shows the campground loops.   Next stop second blue arrow which is the boat dock.  The third arrow at the bottom is the Visitor’s Center.

Note on this map the dotted blue lines, that is the Davis Bayou Blue Way for paddling.

This appears to be their idea of a kayak put in and take out.  How I would get my kayak on that thing is a mystery to me.  Maybe if there were two of us we could lift it.  But why?  So you don’t have to put your feet in the water I guess.

Other people obviously felt the same way.  This is my idea of a put in.  Nice parking space next to the shore and a spot to just slide yourself in.

It was overcast every day I was in Ocean Springs.  Those are the marshes which look rather dull in this light.  But you can see that it was also windy on this day and every day I was in Ocean Springs.  The upshot of that was no paddling.  The wind just would not go into single digits.

I’m really sorry for that as it looks like a very interesting place to paddle.  I guess I need to figure out when I can return and make some deal with the winds.

Here’s a close up of the marsh grasses.  As spring progresses they will get very green.  You can see they have had some cold weather here.  The palmettos look like they have freezer burn.

Next stop is the National Seashore Visitor Center.   To me the building is just so so.  Not sure why if they are going to spend the money they don’t make it attractive.

But inside is another story.  The mosaic on the floor is outstanding.

As with most visitor centers, there is an overload of information here.  For instance,  the Gulf of MEXICO formed 300 million years ago. Scientists think the sea floor sank, creating the scooped out, dish like shape of the Gulf.   It is the 9th largest body of water in the world containing 649 QUADZILLION (wow!) gallons of water.  Twenty major river systems empty into the Gulf with the Mississippi providing almost 65% of the Gulf’s Fresh Water.  

Ocean Springs now favorite son is well represented.

His most beloved  place on Earth was Horn Island where he spent weeks at a time and did many of his drawings.  Horn Island is one of the string of barrier islands that make up the Mississippi part of the Seashore which was created in 1971, 6 years after the death of Walter Anderson.

I am certain he would be thrilled to know that his beloved island is being protected from the development that has happened on the mainland.

Notice the wooden fish hanging to the left of the Anderson banners above. 

This carving and dozens of others were done by John Segeren a Dutch born National Park Service Master Woodcarver.  The link from his name will take you to an amazing life story and incredible works he created.  He made all the wonderful wooden animal sculptures displayed in the visitor center.  They were the highlight for me.
There are better pictures of them in the link above.   These carvings were among the last he did.  He retired in 1984 and lived until 1997.  He was 96.

I couldn’t decide which ones to omit so I just included all the ones of which I was able to get a decent if not great picture.

The animals are made out of different woods and look more or less “polished” depending on the lighting.

The detail is wonderful, the blending of woods.  The racoon even has a “mask”.

Life size alligator.

I was able to do some hiking outside of all the walking in Ocean Springs.   The map below shows the two hiking trails.   I’ve marked the campground and both hiking trails with red arrows.   There is also a biking trail, the dotted red line.   I don’t carry a bike with me any more as I found I was off of it more than I was on it stopping constantly to see something along the way.  So now I just hike.

The Nature Trail is a lovely quiet woodsy trail.  

It was lush even this early in the year.  I would love to see it in the height of its fecundity ….except for the heat.

The trail to the CCC Overlook is longer and as indicated has views of the bayou. I’m not sure about that sign.  It is certainly more than .2 mile.  Though not 2 miles.

This foundation marks the location of a dining recreation pavilion built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the great depression.  A CCC camp here provided jobs and training for about 300 Mississippians and other Southerners from 1938 to 1941.  Crews built the camp, planted trees in eroded areas, built roads, cabins, piers and other structures. 

There are numerous views of the bayou on this hike.  
I love that rich black bayou mud.   It looks so rich.  Like black gold.

I’ll end with my favorite view from the trail.

As you can see from my last three posts, there is a lot to see and enjoy here between the park and the town.  I have one last post from Ocean Springs before moving on to New Orleans.