As the world becomes smaller as a result of media saturation, the time of the true outsider artist is most certainly up. The outsider artist does exist (by the strictest of definitions) in cellblocks and institutions around the world, but rarely beyond. The knowing "outsiders", those that are exposed to but live and work at the edges of society, however, have their place.

While knowledgeable of Basquiat, Picasso and Warhol, these three young painters, Antjuan Oden, Von Nell, and MC Koehler, are equally knowledgeable of Finster, Tolliver and Dial, as well as to urban symbolism and a new global community. Unlike the traditionally rural vernacular artists of the South, Antjuan, Von Nell, and MC Koehler create from an urban background. As with the older self-taught artists, however, Antjuan, Von Nell, and MC Koehler paint because they have to, and their work comes from deep down within their souls.

The work of these young artists is important because they represent a new generation of self-taught artists. With each year, another folk artist passes away, leaving behind a legacy of work that is used to define a genre. The spirit and honest energy of their work is what has captured the attention of dealers and collectors for the last twenty-five years, and it is this same rawness that artists such as Antjuan, Von Nell, and MC Koehler are able to identify with. Without being derivative, these artists create with the same passion and for the same reasons: because they have to. It is the immediacy of their work that excites.

It is interesting, then, at a time when "outsider" art is still frowned upon by the art academia, discussions disintegrate into debate over terminology, and art schools offer curriculum teaching "outsider art", that the genre is enjoying such a surge in acceptance by those that count the most: the people. Antjuan, Von Nell, and MC Koehler are at the forefront of a movement that only a few have even noticed. This is only the beginning.

Antjuan Oden paints mostly with acrylic and oils onto found bits of wood, incorporating symbols and text. He is constantly painting or writing (he has a couple of plays in the works and writes poetry), and is always experimenting with mediums and ideas. After over 30 shows in 1997 between Birmingham and Atlanta, Antjuan felt that he needed to excuse himself from the scene, as well as to face new challenges. He moved to Tacoma in the spring of this year. Antjuan was featured in the January/February 1998 issue of Art Papers and is represented by Clary Sage in Birmingham and Barbara Archer (one of the top dealers and collectors in the country) in Atlanta. "I have to paint, it's ridiculous, I can't stop!"

Von Nell lives and paints on Whidbey Island. After developing a following in her native Atlanta (as with Antjuan, she was hand picked by Barbara Archer), where she gained considerable interest as a vernacular artist, she moved to Washington State earlier this year. Painting on found objects ("The basement of the house I live in is full of scrap bits of wood, left behind by the previous occupants"), she uses oils and acrylics to depict images of friends. Von Nell began painting six years ago, after a succession of challenging and difficult experiences that brought her down. Never previously having a creative outlet, she took naturally to drawing in pen and markers, before moving on to large paintings done on old doors. Living on the island, Von Nell paints as a result of her isolation and her work reflects her detachment from home and the loss of friends and familiar surroundings.

MC Koehler paints images of friends and crazy relatives from her home in Augusta, Georgia. She will often paint pictures in a single sitting, and these will result in richly textured pieces on canvas or wood, done in acrylic, latex, or oil. She began painting as a child to escape from an often-crazed mother and she would stash paper and pens in her hiding place to create her own, better reality. Her work has been shown in galleries and festivals in Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, and Kansas City, among other cities.