In the Footsteps of Walter Anderson: Art, Color, Shorebirds and Seabirds on the Port Royal Sound
Walter Inglis Anderson (1903–1965) was a visionary American artist, naturalist, and journal writer whose colorful murals, watercolors, and nature studies transformed the way we see the Gulf Coast. Born in New Orleans and classically trained at the Parsons School of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Anderson spent most of his life in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. His most prolific and influential years spanned the 1930s through the 1960s, a period marked by his solitary explorations and creative immersion on nearby Horn Island. Anderson’s legacy as a keen observer of barrier island wildlife and "poet in paint" continues to inspire artists and nature lovers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Walter Inglis Anderson’s vibrant art and deep reverence for the barrier islands of the Mississippi Gulf Coast have long inspired my own photography and creative approach. Ever since visiting the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and immersing myself in his murals and journals, I find myself returning to his spirit of exploration each time I step onto the tidal flats of Port Royal Sound.
Here are pictures I took of the mural room in the Ocean Springs Community Center (Rec Hall) which is attached to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Walter Anderson painted its monumental, 3,000-square-foot murals in 1951, accepting only $1 plus expenses for his work. The murals depict the natural environment, local flora and fauna, and the history of Ocean Springs, including scenes like the landing of French explorer d’Iberville in 1699 and the region’s Native American heritage. The space is filled with vibrant, fresco-style paintings celebrating the seasons, light, and landscapes of coastal Mississippi.
Inspired by Anderson’s World of Color
Seeing Anderson’s art in person—alive with bold shapes, swirling movement, and celebratory color—reminded me to look at the coast with renewed wonder. In his “Horn Island Logs,” Anderson wrote about the beauty and patterns of nature, drawing profound meaning from fleeting moments between sky, water, and birds. Much like Anderson, I seek to emulate his boldness with color and shape. Each morning on the sandbar, as the first light unfurls shades of pink, purple, and tangerine across the water, I strive to turn what I see into living watercolors through my camera lens.
This morning—the end of October, with humidity lifted and the air washed clear—the sky and water reflected a brilliant celeste blue. I set out at 6:00 am in darkness, crossing firm sand beyond the breakwater rocks to the edge of the sandbar where Atlantic meets Sound. The recent storm and ongoing beach replenishment have carved a new cut through the shifting sand, a reminder that this landscape—and nature itself—is ever-changing.
Arriving early, I lay facing the ocean and waited for dawn. First light brought subtle glimmers of pink and purple, slowly flooding the horizon. Before long, the beach sprang to life.
Black Skimmers and Black-bellied Plovers appeared first, skimmers gliding low across the ocean’s end and the plovers scurrying in pairs foraging in the sand.
Overhead, flocks of terns, gulls, and Semipalmated Plovers seemed to echo Anderson’s description of “tremendously musical harmonies of rising from the ground at my approach.”
Far out in the southeast, a hidden spit at low tide teemed with thousands of Brown Pelicans, terns, gulls, and skimmers—a spectacle of movement and unity.
I am always struck by the moment when Willets, Marbled Godwits, and plovers seem to pause in their tracks to face east, as if knowingly greeting the horizon and waiting for the arrival of the sun—a quiet ritual I have witnessed countless times, and one that fills me with wonder. The sunrise window glowed surreal and luminous, transitory as a watercolor—fifteen minutes later, the colors faded, leaving behind the simple whites of an ordinary morning.
Visual Journal: Color, Form, and Shorebird Life
Through my bird photography, I try to capture these fleeting blocks of color and movement. Each image is an homage to Anderson’s way of experiencing the world:
Marbled Godwits silhouetted at sunrise, long bills mirrored in the pastel water.
Black-bellied Plovers painted in lavender and gold as they awaken on the tide.
A Ruddy Turnstone stands in sharp relief against a wash of yellow sky.
Black Skimmers wheel in formation above the glowing sea, their wings recalling Anderson’s mural energy.
A solitary Willet strides through radiant reflections, every motion a brushstroke.
Reflections and Invitation
Like Walter Anderson on Horn Island, each outing to the tidal flats is an act of learning and reverence—discovering new arrangements of sand, water, and wildlife, and translating those moments into art. The beauty and unpredictability of the coast invite us to remember, as Anderson believed, our deep connection to nature and its timeless harmonies.
To learn more about Walter Anderson and his extraordinary art, visit the Walter Anderson Museum of Art online at www.walterandersonmuseum.org or in person at 510 Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, MS 39564.