Shearwater Cottage Murals  Walter Anderson’s Shearwater Cottage Murals are painted on the wooden walls of Anderson’s cottage in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Anderson painted these floor-to-ceiling murals to illustrate a Gulf Coast day, using bright colors and vibrant images to show the transition from day to night. The murals are also referred to as “Little Room” and “Creation at Sunrise.” Walter Anderson probably began the murals in his cottage sometime after 1951. During his life, he never allowed anyone but himself, some cats, and the occasional possum to enter the room. However, after his death in 1965, Walter’s wife opened the door to the Little Room and found the spectacular mural. In 1991, the murals were moved from Anderson’s cottage and are now housed in the Walter Anderson Museum of Art (Ocean Springs, Mississippi). In 1939, Anderson built an extension on the south side of his home and the murals would eventually be painted in this extension. The room had a double window facing south and single windows on the east and west walls. The north wall was dominated by the back of the fireplace and chimney and had a door that led into the main cottage. Walter Anderson used oil paints leftover from the murals he painted at the Community Center, along with house paint, tempura, and anything else that was handy. Each wall of the cottage represents a different time of day:   To mentally transport himself to Horn Island, Walter Anderson painted these murals to portray life and time on the island. These floor-to-ceiling murals beautifully chronicle the transition from night to day. A wooden chest found in the cottage contained Anderson’s transcription of Psalm 104. The murals are thought to be inspired by Psalm 104. These murals can be seen as a gleaming hymn to the light and beauty of a day on the Coast. Below is an excerpt from Psalm 104:  Psalm 104: 1-3 KJV  The sun rises through the east window. The dominant feature is not anything in the mural, but the window around which the mural is composed. A crowing rooster is perched atop the window frame, to the left of the east window, we see a hillside with goats, and below the window is a stalking cat. Many elements on this wall allude to Psalm 104 such as verse 18 which says, “The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats…"