Pamela and Richard Karaz pose Saturday evening, April 2, at their new gallery, The Curious Otter at 2419 Main St., Lake Placid. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Lake Placid’s newest addition to the local creative economy is The Curious Otter at 2419 Main St. It’s a gallery focused on wildlife. Featuring high-resolution photographs, paintings and sculptures, the artwork on display is dazzling, showcasing the talents of two exceptional artists, painter/photographer Pamela Karaz and sculptor PJ LaBarge.

I was at a well-attended reception Saturday evening, April 2 — the day before the gallery’s first full day of operation — and several pieces were snapped up. The gallery is owned and operated by relatively new residents, Pamela and Richard Karaz, transplants from the Mohawk Valley. They have a long history of enjoying the Adirondack region and, for Pamela, often painting and photographing what she sees.

The Karazes and LaBarge share a deep love of wildlife. More than that, they hope their artwork will open a window to the creatures with whom we share this planet and motivate people to do all they can to protect the diversity of life that, in reality, sustains us.

LaBarge, who long has had a home and studio in Lake Placid, hails from Tupper Lake. Her journey to creating captivating bronze sculptures was by no means direct. Indeed, being an artist was the last thing she had in mind, or she suspected she had a talent for growing up.

Pamela, on the other hand, has long been passionate about painting wildlife. Initially, photography was a way to capture images she could use in her studio as inspirations for her paintings or help her keep working on a painting that had started in the field. Her shift to using photography as her lead artistic tool came by joining the horde of birders on Alstead Hill in Keene, documenting a large snowy owl that took up residence near the Bark Eater Inn about a dozen years ago.

Sculptor PJ LaBarge and Kimberly Weinrick (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“My photographs started as reference materials for my paintings,” said Pamela. “They started as snapshots, and then the snowy owl eruption in 2014 came about, and I got addicted to photographing them.”

The owl hung out, and Pamela hung out. She learned that if you are patient, have a good camera with a great lens, and are mindful of the light and everything else going on within the eyepiece, you can capture a moment of intimacy that opens a window into their life. She soon developed a skill for slithering up unseen, hiding in some natural or human-made blind, and waiting weeks. The result is photos such as a fox and its kits that seem almost staged. Nothing could be further from the truth. Through patience and skill, Pamela captures moments few others can.

“When the world moved from 35mm to digital, Pamela’s interest grew along with that technology,” said her husband, Richard. “She was intrigued with what digital photography can yield, how the photographer can respond quickly to whatever they are shooting. Photographing wildlife requires her to be patient and methodical about what she does. She also has to be aware of the time of day, the lighting, the background, and the setting to enable her to tell a story about that animal, that bird, that whatever.”

“I watch most of the animals I photograph for two or three weeks,” said Pamela. “It takes a lot of patience, but once you find a family, like a fox family, you can photograph all the wonderful things they do. By spending the time, you learn their personalities and what’s important and capture their loving nature. They never knew I was there; I was up in the hayloft of a nearby barn.”

After selling his running apparel business, Richard and Pamela were looking to try something different in a place not too far from the Mohawk Valley, where they had many friends and family. They always loved the Adirondacks, visited Lake Placid, found a place to live and a storefront for a gallery, and took the plunge. While planning the gallery, Pamela reached out to LaBarge, who she met twenty years ago at the Lake Placid Lodge there, working as an artist in residence as she still does.

“I got an email from Pam asking if I’d consider exhibiting my work in her and Rich’s new gallery that will feature wildlife artists,” said LaBarge.” I thought, maybe. So, I invited her over to my house. I Googled her work and liked it; it intrigued me because we have a shared focus on wildlife. She came over, and we hung out for two or three hours and had a great time. I felt like I had found a new friend.”

LaBarge went to college to study exercise and physiology and biomechanics, doing research for Olympic skiers. She discovered she didn’t like working in rehab but did like working with high-end athletes, which brought her back to the North Country for the Olympic Games. After the Games, she ended up in California working in advertising and marketing, where she discovered she had a knack for graphic design. When she read an article about the need for mountain lion preservation, she decided she wanted to get involved, which led her to try her hand at making wildlife-based jewelry to support that cause; a line that got picked up by the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and many others.

Her jewelry work led to an opportunity to create a largescale mountain lion in bronze. LaBarge told the client that she had never worked in bronze before, but he wouldn’t get a sculpture unless she liked it if he invested. He took the risk, and her fourth career was born. LaBarge returned to the Adirondacks for a break and to show her work in Tupper Lake. While here, she met the then manager of the Lake Placid Lodge, Kathryn Kincannon, who invited her to be their artist in residence.

Both LaBarge and Pamela want people to realize that they are sharing this world with a wide array of beautiful creatures and create a connection. They want people to understand what’s happening in the woods behind their houses and become more aware that we all need to make an effort to protect and preserve wildlife in all its diversity.

“The artwork is amazing,” said Matt Norfolk, of Lake Placid. “They almost look like a realistic painting, and they are so impressive.”

“I think it’s wonderful that they’ve opened a gallery that’s focused on wildlife,” said Bob Beier. “The town needs the diversity, and we don’t need more restaurants and tee-shirt shops. Tourists love coming into galleries. And this gallery is filled with high-quality art, and the work is beautiful. PJ’s and Pam’s work goes well together.”

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)