Jackson Free Press

Pryor Graeber calls herself a "colorist," somewhere between an impressionist and an abstract artist. Her signature paintings of two-dimensional rows of trees burst with large strokes of color within a chosen palette.

Her inspiration for the look comes from her upbringing on a cotton farm in the middle of nowhere.

"In the Delta, you never see the sky meet the land," she says. "You only see it meet the trees.

Her paintings reflect the scenes of her childhood, with a few extra dollops of chroma. Depending on her mood, the trees range from subdued and pastel to vivid and heavily contrasted. Some reflect the true hue of a certain season; others juxtapose complementary colors to achieve a supernatural intensity. High in demand are her experimental white-tree prints. The subtle difference in shades of white give her linear forest an ethereal look, reminiscent of winter in Narnia.

"What people tell me about my paintings is that they make them happy," she says. "They're not sophisticated. ... Well, some are, but mainly they're just fun."

Graeber paints every day for several hours at a time. At 53 with two almost-grown sons, she's able to devote herself to her craft entirely. But painting isn't her only artistic venture.

She comes from a musical family: a mother who was a choir director and three vocalist sisters. Together, they form the band "Pryor and the Tombstones," and have performed in downtown Jackson's Underground 119.

They also recorded the "Buford Family Christmas" album on their own, laying it down in 10 hours. "We were crazy that night," Pryor says.

The CD was sold at the Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood, where they perform at Christmas each year, and proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Club there.

Growing up in a family of artists, Graeber's passion for visual art emerged early. "In kindergarten, the blank piece of paper the teacher put in front of us was my favorite part," she says.

In college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Graeber studied art for two years then business for two. Her studies prepared her to become an entrepreneur a decade later when Ann Herlihy, owner of the now-closed Fondren Traders, began to sell her paintings.

Aside from selling her paintings in local businesses and galleries, Graeber also began donating paintings to Jackson charity balls. "That made me look like an artist, if my stuff was there next to a real artist," she says. "I'm so lucky; it all just grew from there."

Graeber found a life mantra in a quote by 19th-century French painter Pierre Bonnard, who said: "What attracted me then was less art itself than the artist's life, with all that I thought in terms of free expression, of imagination and liberty to live as one pleased. ... I wanted at all costs, to escape from a monotonous existence."

Graeber plans to continue painting, having found an escape from monotony in her art. "Jackson loves its artists, it's good to us," she says. "I'll never leave here."

You can find Pryor Graeber's art at many Jackson area galleries, including Nunnery's at Underground 119 (119 S. President St.); Jackson Street Gallery (500 Highway 51, Suite E, Ridgeland) and Interiors Market (659 Duling Ave.).

Also, catch her musical performance Sept. 1 at Underground 119.