Artist of Note

While living in Birmingham in 1996, I met an artist who lived next door to me. We hit it off and became fast friends. I moved back to Pensacola and he eventually moved to Seattle. (I can't find him...I hear he's moved back to Birmingham) I love his work and own two of his paintings. You can read about him here or check out more at www.garde-rail.com.

ANTJUAN ODEN - THE MYTH OF CAPTIVITY AND THE TRUTH OF CONSEQUENCE
In the fall of 2000, in what can only be deemed as unjust circumstances, Garde Rail Gallery artist Antjuan Oden began a 15 month jail term. Even as Antjuan's art was used against him in his trial, his spirit to create could not be broken and he continued to paint while in prison. This exhibit will feature work completed while in captivity, as well as compelling new pieces Antjuan has completed since his release. Self-taught artist Antjuan Oden has shown with Garde Rail Gallery since he moved to the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 1998. Born in Birmingham in 1972, Antjuan quickly flooded the scene with his powerful, energetic, vibrant works on paper and wood. His mixed media assemblages captured the attention of galleries in Atlanta, and he was soon featured in Art Papers. After a flurry of activity between Birmingham and Atlanta, Antjuan sensed that he needed a change and landed in Tacoma. Antjuan Oden is considered one of the brightest talents of the next generation of self-taught artists. Creating with the same intensity and compulsion as many of the African-American vernacular artists of the South, Antjuan incorporates a modern awareness and urban iconography into his widely varied works. Over the last few months, Antjuan has established a new lexicon of imagery to work with that you may see often in these new paintings; a birdcage, a lotus plant, missiles, horses and elephants. This body of work also showcases Antjuan's painting style, and promises that his new work will be heading in exciting new directions. While in prison, with no access to art supplies, Antjuan still completed nearly 200 works. Of these, 75 tiny paintings were completed with tissue paper as brushes and coffee as paint, using scraps of paper salvaged from prison regulation sheets and drink mix sachets as his canvas. It is this body of work that exemplifies the commitment to create that resides inside Antjuan. "I have to paint. I can't stop - it's ridiculous!" - Antjuan Oden, July 1998