Local artist

Illustration for :"Puss in Boots."

Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is the home of a well known painter, at least in the South:

Walter Iglis Anderson (1903-1965).

The artist was prolific and produced watercolors, oil paintings, sculptures, potteries. He also wrote books and illustrated a few.

The latest exhibit at the WAMA's (Walter Anderson Museum of Art) is particularly touching. Titled:" Lost Murals: the Art of Reading", it is a collection of mainly watercolors created to illustrate children's books. Most of these works were damaged by the flood in 2005 and were restored at the Mississippi State University.

Walter Anderson works are abundant.

Walter Anderson's life, his struggles are well known locally. His mental disease would isolate him and he would spend weeks alone on Horn Island where he would find material for his paintings. His representation of the local fauna and local flora is unique.

At each visit, I walk in the Community Center, decorated by murals on all walls. Over the years, the colors are fading. Restoration is in progress.

photographs by the author