...When I look at some of his paintings now, I think I begin to understand. There are two compulsions: a desire to know all there was to know about a creature and a desire to record the terrible beauty he observed so briefly—to be able, even after its death, to save it from dissolution and decay…
Approaching the Magic Hour: Memories of Walter Anderson by Agnes Grinstead Anderson, Patti Carr Black (Editor); Paperback, 178 pages; Published March 1st 1995 by University Press of Mississippi (first published June 1st 1989); ISBN: 0878058036 (ISBN13: 9780878058037); Edition Language: English
...When I look at some of his paintings now, I think I begin to understand. There are two compulsions: a desire to know all there was to know about a creature and a desire to record the terrible beauty he observed so briefly—to be able, even after its death, to save it from dissolution and decay…
From the very beginning this book grabs you, their love story being one of the best ever written, and the great artist himself so unknown it is a crying shame. Brilliant vision and insane desire to feel his way through the world he inhabited. Agnes (or Sissy as she was called), remarkable in her service to his art, was also a brilliant intellect and talented artist who gave herself to this higher calling. Her own sacrifice is obvious and pronounced in every word on the pages of this book. But there is no resentment or regret in what she did.
There is an art museum in downtown Ocean Springs specifically centering on the art of Walter Anderson. I never heard of it until this past June of 2019. The one-speed bicycle he rode thousands of miles on hangs above on a bare wall, and opposite, at the other end of the hall, the boat he would row four miles overnight to get to Hog Island. Walter (Bob) would disappear sometimes for days and eventually return drenched, dirty, and shivering, but always happy. Anderson was tormented easily but his love for nature and the creative life kept him fiercely engaged. Never much of a husband or father, Walter was a true artist and Sissy made that possible by being everything he wasn’t
.