Page 14 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2022

Mary Monk painting the fading sunlight.
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA) in cooperation
with Heather Martin, artist, and owner of Ethotera Studio in Ocean Springs, recently led artists in a four-day campout on Horn Island. Artists from Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and abroad walked in the footsteps of artist, Walter Inglis Anderson. Some were repeat visitors to Horn Island, and some were new. Sculptors, writers, and artists working in the mediums of pastels, watercolors, and acrylics took part.
Walter Anderson, who visited the barrier island during the 1950s and 1960s, rowed his skiff to the barrier island off the Gulf Coast. He sketched aspects of Horn Island while sleeping under his rowboat, his only protection from the tough elements. Today, there is a museum in Ocean Springs in his name.
In search of the same paradise as Anderson, artists brought,
carried, and set up their own equipment on the island. Martin, a longtime islander, past museum educator, and expert on Anderson, hosted a meeting prior to the event to educate newcomers about the uninhabited island’s challenges such as weather, thorny plants, snakes, alligators, and of course, bugs.
“This trip is the modern-day version of Anderson's trips--a true artists' expedition,” said WAMA Education Director, Anthony DiFatta. He said despite the primitive aspect, most recognized it is an experience
of a lifetime to be able enjoy the beauty of the island and make bonds with people who have similar interests.
Guides also included John Anderson, son of Walter Anderson, and several WAMA staff and partners. John led the group on a walkabout in his father’s footsteps. He spoke eloquently about his father's life on Horn Island. “My father summed up his work with one sentence: ‘In order to realize the beauty of man, we must realize the relation with nature.’”
Artists took his words to heart exploring the island’s dunes and lagoons, painting, and interpreting the island depicted in Anderson’s own vibrant watercolors. On the last day, a “show and tell” of artwork was held to share individual artistic interpretation and inspiration.
For more information visit www.walterandersonmuseum.org.
Wes Arrington showing some of his work.
WAMA Horn Island Artist Retreat October 2022.
14 | December 2022 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
COAST NOTE
ARTIST RETREAT
story and photos by Christian Reese