Peter Anderson Festival

The Peter Anderson Festival brought crowds of over 150,000 people to Ocean Springs on Saturday and Sunday.

News 25’s Gabby Easterwood was there to meet some of the artists and hear their stories

A hammer, a nail, some wisteria vine, and a bit of handy work is all it takes for Andrew McCall, a 67-year-old artist, to make his masterpieces that he puts his whole self into. McCall hand-makes baskets, birdhouses, chairs, tiny churches, you name it, all at his home just south of Montgomery, Alabama.

McCall hunts in  nearby forests for wisteria vine, kudzu vine, and old pieces of wood to make his art. He says he doesn’t make a lot doing this, but he is happy because this is the gift God gave to him. “This is my God given gift. He taught me everything I do. What else can I say to that?”

McCall has been weaving this vine for 40 years now and he says he never takes a minute of it for granted. “Well I think that you don’t look at it as 40 years of just doing something you don’t like, doing something that you love. It’s kind of like a marriage, a good marriage.”

McCall wasn’t the only artist at the Peter Anderson Festival who was working on their art. Pass Christian resident Barbara Paraonne was painting a piece of her weather proof art which depicted a breathtaking image of a fountain in a garden at her booth.

Paraonne says she gets her inspiration from New Orleans which is where she grew up. “Running water is very difficult to paint so this one is a bit of a challenge to me, but you know, I do a lot of courtyards, a lot of plants and pots.”

Paraonne has been coming to the Peter Anderson Festival for five years now. She loves to watch people’s reactions as they walk by, especially the children. “You can kind of tell by the glint in their eyes if it’s a little kid who really kind of gets into it. You know, I’ll generally let them paint a stroke or two and I’ll tell them thank you for your help. It’s good. That part is very nice.”