Judy and David Tait have found that their creative endeavors can flourish in Curryville

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by Hanne Armstrong
This Week Staff

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Judy and David Tait have lived in Albert County for 25 years, beginning when David got a job at the Moncton campus of the New Brunswick Community College.

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Stacey Merrigan/This Week

Judy and David Tait revel in the natural beauty of Curryville, and use their surroundings to inspire their work.

Then, about eight years ago, the couple took some time to look around before settling on a move to the Albert Mines road.

"We just fell in love with the area," recalls Judy. "I needed to get my creative juices going, and wanted to do my own work."

The work Judy wanted to get going on was, primarily, her creations in clay.

A teacher at the craft college in Fredericton for a number of years, it was time to explore her own creativity.

"I needed my own space," Judy says, "and we found a disused school house, and David did a tremendous amount of work to make it liveable."

Once the school house had become home, David converted the old community hall next door into a clay workshop.

Unlike many potters who buy their clay, Judy uses clay from close to the Petitcodiac River.

It's delivered to them by truck, and then David is in charge of the preparation process.

"We think we use over three tons of raw clay per year," estimates Judy.

Extraction, production, and creation, are all part of the process of Judy's Albert County Clay Company. And the location is part of the creative mix.

"I love the natural surroundings," Judy says. "Just the walk to work is soothing."

While living in the renovated school house and working in the renovated community hall, David and Judy were building a new house across the road.

Through insight gained while a community college instructor, David decided to use Blue Max construction for their home.

The couple now have a new, solid home with walls of cement insulated on both sides.

Once the Taits had moved in to their new house, the school house became the home of Samphire Casuals, where Judy does original silk screen printing of local scenery onto T-shirts.

"It's named after the local marsh delicacy," explains Judy. "I print for anyone who needs shirts for groups and different occasions."

All these creations need an outlet, and in addition to retailing from their premises, David and Judy are no strangers to trade shows.

They also wholesale to gift shops and galleries throughout the Maritimes, and they are on the Fundy Studio Tour; Judy enjoys showing people how things are made.

"I use a hand-building technique," she explains, "not a wheel. I have forms and wrap the clay around them.

"I use leaves and flowers to make impressions in the clay, and I keep the colour of the natural clay. It's a lovely terra cotta colour."

And if renovations, processing, creating, and selling aren't keeping Judy and David busy, there's always local community involvement.

Judy is a past president of the Albert County Chamber of Commerce, and is actively involved in the development of a community centre in Curryville.

"I love it here," says Judy. "We have neighbours, but lots of privacy. We try to find the balance between being business people, manufacturers, and being creative.

"Things are slowly growing, and I'm always in touch with nature. It inspires me."