Two walls and a corner of the ceiling in the little room at the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. This room was his private space and kept locked by him until opened at his death. Every inch of the walls and ceiling is covered with paintings. He painted and overpainted obsessively over the years. His family was shocked to discover this treasure when they opened the room.
@taffy Anderson was a working artist for many years, supporting his family by selling paintings and wood block prints. He also designed for the pottery business run by his brother. It was as he sank deeper into mental illness that he retreated to the little room and to his solitary trips to Horn Island. He was married and had 4 children, and he would come and go without a word to anyone. The walls of the Community Center next to the museum are covered with his murals of the discovery and settlement of the area by the French explorers, which he painted by agreement with the city fathers. Legend is that they were not happy with the murals, but, fortunately, they never removed them so the rest of us can enjoy them.
Richard and I were lucky enough to receive two wedding gifts of pottery from the Anderson family's Shearwater Pottery. They were a casserole baker and some dessert dishes, and I used to use them regularly. I grew up near Ocean Springs, which is a little town between Biloxi and Pascagoula on the coast of Mississippi, so I had been to the museum before. I still think the whole story is fascinating though. I'm glad you all enjoyed it too.
I love the colurful paintings and can imagine how shocked his family must have been to discover them. I mean, most people want to share something they have created with those close to them. You've reminded me of commenting to Ray recently about Satie, also a unusual personality whose friends were shocked by the untidy state of his room after his death. I also remember he bought 12 identical suits and hats with an inheritance and always wore those when on his long walks. I think his walking can be heard in some of is music. It's one of my calming types of music.
