“So much of the art in the Adirondacks is so serious … moody,” LaBarge said.
Two bears flee the wrath of a bee colony angry at the attempted poaching of their honey. An otter is distracted by the search for a mate by the flash of a rainbow trout. These pieces display her sense of humor, too, LaBarge said. She said she plans to repair and cast Bjorn. “It sat there for like, 24 years, without having a problem and this cat comes along and walks on it, like ‘Oh, there’s a good stepping stone,'” LaBarge said. This clay sculpture needs some work, after her other cat, Stutzy, left claw marks across it, walking on the fine art to chase a feather. She got obsessed.ījorn is the subject of one sculpture which she’s never cast, LaBarge said. She’d watch him jump from the floor to the top of the fridge in one bound. The cat was named Bjorn after the tennis star Bjorn Borg, who had just won Wimbledon singles championship five successive times.įittingly, Bjorn the cat was a “super-athlete,” LaBarge said. She talked her roommate into sneaking the cat into their apartment. “This little guy looked at me like, ‘Get me the frick out of here,'” LaBarge said. But she went into a pet store and saw this small cat who didn’t look happy there. She loves sculpting and painting big cats, but her first feline fascination was a “little guy.” She was 27 and hadn’t planned on owning a cat. LaBarge loves all animals, with a special passion for cats.
In hindsight, this is “interesting,” she said, but at the time it was not. The wing of a man in her sculpture “Introspection” melted off. She keeps a couple of these marred sculptures in her yard. Her bronze sculptures near the center of the fire melted and were scarred. But she lost everything when the historic building caught fire and burned down in 2005. Guests saw just snippets - a moment in the lengthy artistic process. Locals could see her visions develop over time. This works well for her, she said - she’s approachable and friendly. It was performative instead of reclusive. She said sculpting in public was a unique experience. At first, she would spend seasons here, having worked out a living arrangement with the Lake Placid Lodge.įor years, LaBarge could be seen sitting on the front porch or at the bar at the Lake Placid Lodge, immersed in her work. LaBarge never thought she’d return to the Adirondacks, but she’s been back, living in Lake Placid, for 18 years.
She picked it up fast and began working with numerous wildlife preservation organizations.
The only problem was that now she had a $10,000 order before she even knew how to make jewelry. She reached out and they said they were looking for exactly that. Her interest was piqued and she wanted to design a jewelry collection for them. Then, one day, she saw an article about a mountain lion preservation organization in the San Francisco Chronicle. After deciding to not pursue a doctorate, she entered a medical marketing career and learned that she liked design. She grew up in Tupper Lake but moved to California. Or rather, she introduced herself, taking several risks along the way.
LaBarge was introduced into the art world through a series of serendipitous meetings. They usually sell for thousands of dollars, but at Tupper Arts this month, they can be seen all in one place for free. Her work can be seen at several Adirondack camps. LaBarge’s art will be on display at Tupper Arts all through August. A painting by Lake Placid sculptor and painter PJ LaBarge shows a bear running down state Route 73.