Local Barista Showcases Art at Norcross Gallery

If you've gone into 45 South Cafe in Historic Downtown Norcross, you've probably run into Paige Prier. 

She's the vibrant lady with the bright red hair and cheerful smile who's been working at the downtown coffee shop and eatery for the last four years. 

What you might not have known about her is that she's also quite an artist. Specifcally, with traditional works such as oil painting. 

This weekend, the Norcross barista will be showcasing her art in "Athena's Palettes," the latest exhibition at Vargas & Harbin Studio Gallery featuring women artists from the metro Atlanta area.

The exhibition is Prier's first curated show. Norcross Patch spoke with her this week to learn more about her artwork and what inspires her.  

Norcross Patch: How long have you been an artist?

Page Prier: Seventeen years, since I was 15. 

Patch: How did you first get into art?

Prier: I've always liked drawing. I just got more and more into it the older I got. It became a compulsion. I went to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and I have my BFA. 

Patch: What kind of art do you mostly do?

Prier: I do abstract and figurative work. It's expressionistic and sort of surrealistic. It's traditional media, so it's all paints: watercolors, oils, sometimes acrylics. 

Patch: Do you have any art heroes? 

Prier: Quite a few. We've got Jean-Michel Basquiat, [Andy] Warhol... I'm a big sucker for Picasso in real life. I always thought he was overrated until I saw him in real life. You see the prints and you're like, "Eh, OK," but in real life they're so much better. I also saw a documentary on Gerhard Richter. I love his work since I can very much relate to him and what he says about art. We've also got old school Francis Bacon, the painter.

Patch: What inspires you? 

Prier: My work is a personal narrative. They're stories I tell about myself, so they're sort of metaphors for my own life. There are reoccurring characters and themes. [There's one piece] that shows almost my entire cast of characters. If there's usually one or two figures in a piece of my art, it's usually one of those guys. 

Patch: What kind of personalities or ideas do these characters revolve around? 

Prier: They're sort of archetypes, but in my own sort of mythology. Most of them are happy. For example, Martin shows up a lot. He's very proper, he's sort of English, sort of steam punk, but he likes to travel and he's incredibly pleasant. ... Pretty much all of them have backstories and lives of their own. 

Patch: That's cool! Are you also a creative writer?

Prier: No, they just kind of exist in the visual. They're pretty immediate. 

Patch: What's your favorite piece in "Athena's Palette"?

Prier: There's Sepia 1, but Sepia 3 is my favorite because it's kind of an action piece. That's my most recent of that series and I'm very fond of it. There's also one that's very personal and almost a direct reaction to it. It's actually pretty dark, but it resonates with a lot of people. 

To see more of Paige Prier's work, visit www.paigeprier.com.

"Athena's Palettes" will have a preview Friday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday at the same time in Vargas & Harbin Studio Gallery, located at 27 S. Peachtree St. Prier and the other artists will be on hand during both showings.