Stokesias

Walter Anderson

Walter Anderson created nearly 300 linoleum blocks between 1945 and 1949, which he printed on the back of wallpaper, in keeping with his interest in using what he had on hand and creating imagery for "people who cannot afford to pay a great deal for works of art, but still have an appetite for beauty." (walterandersonmuseum.org/elusive). Here, one such artwork features a stylized stokesia aster found near his home in Shearwater, Mississippi.

Despite a prolific career that took him to New York, China, Costa Rica, and more, Anderson did not aspire to become famous, preferring to fully immerse himself in the creative process for its own sake. After suffering a mental breakdown in the late 1930s, he relocated to his wife's family's farm in Gautier, Mississippi and turned his attention to the natural world and to the teachings of Mexican artist and educator Adolfo Best Maugard.

After relocating once again, now to Shearwater, MI, he would travel between home and a small shack on Horn Island to focus on his creations. He was frequently referred to as "the South's most elusive artist" due to his penchant for isolation. He worked in watercolor, graphite, ceramics, murals, woodworking, and furniture design until his untimely death from cancer in 1965. He could not have known how much his work would continue to resonate with the public after his passing.