From polymer and air-dried clay items to painting, Tara Cormier exploring her creative side at Turtle Junction Creative StudioPublished Apr 21, 2025 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute readTara Cormier with Todd Gates, owner and operator of Raging Crow Distillery in Canning, NS., standing in front of a crow painting that was created for the Farm to Tableau auction fundraiser held in New Minas in May 2024. ContributedTara Cormier never intended to start a business, but here she is: since 2020, Cormier has been running Turtle Junction Creatives Studio from her home in the Annapolis Valley on the coast of the Bay of Fundy.Turtle Junction Creatives Studio came about when Cormier wanted to reignite her love of creating, which had taken a back burner during her years of teaching, she explains.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentCormier has always had a creative outlet in her life — whether it be music, dance, pottery, or painting, these activities were always in rotation. Luckily, she says, teaching kindergarten allowed her to sing, dance, and be creative on a daily basis.COVID made it clear to her that it was time to make and create other things as well.“As I created more pieces and posted them to my social media, some friends and family started asking if pieces I made were for sale — it just kind of took off from there,” she describes. Tara Cormier of the Annapolis Valley, N.S., operates Turtle Junction Creative Studio, where she creates polymer jewelry and air-dry clay creations. ContributedAnd what does she make? Currently, she has a line of polymer jewelry and is starting to branch out to air-dry clay creations.Her passion, however, is drawing with graphite and ink, and painting with watercolour, gouache, or acrylics.Cormier says she is mostly self-taught. She learned the fundamentals in high school and post-secondary school before deciding to put her focus on an English major and become a teacher. Tara Cormier’s passion is drawing with graphite and ink. ContributedShe says the best part about creating is just finding new ways to interpret the world around her. Sometimes she leans toward a more realistic approach, while other times, she creates more abstract pieces. She rarely does the same thing twice.Article content“There’s just so much variety in art, and I use that to my full advantage by experimenting with each new piece,” she says.Sometimes, Cormier says she doesn’t decide what to create, but rather it decides for her. She receives inspiration from so many places that she just lets it come and work on what she is feeling. There are sometimes pieces that sit for days, weeks, or even months at a time before she sees them again with fresh eyes and knows where to go next. Tara Cormier loves painting using watercolour, gouache, or acrylics and is mainly self-taught. Contributed“The biggest thing I’ve learned is not to force the process,” she says.And creativity does come with its challenges.For example, she says trying to know what a consistent seller will be is difficult. What might be a great seller at one location or market might barely move in another. Wanting to have enough variety but not spreading herself too thin with too many different items is also an issue.“There’s a sweet spot, and I’m starting to find my groove in the Valley,” says Cormier. Some of Tara Cormier’s Christmas ornament creations. ContributedBesides coming up with her own ideas, Cormier also does commission work. Overall, though, she says she has been lucky to have clients who give her a broad idea of what they are interested in, but then allow for her creativity to go wherever it needs to go to reach that end goal.Article contentSome of those commissioned pieces have included pet portraits and pieces to memorialize people and places. Her favourite piece, however, is the mural she got to work on in Norquay, S.K.While on vacation visiting family last spring, her aunt, Joy Hubic, asked Cormier to complete a mural that had been started years earlier by another person in their local church. Children of the church had already painted the sky, ground, and some flowers, but for the most part, it was a blank canvas.Recommended from Editorial MEET THE MAKERS: Annapolis Valley man passionate about woodworking MEET THE MAKERS – Focusing on crafts: Crocheting, sewing and sign making also part of creative process for photographer MEET THE MAKERS: Colourful N.S. crafter finds passion for creating during pandemic This was special for Cormier, for as a child, they would drive out from Vancouver and she spent every summer in rural Saskatchewan visiting her relatives.“It was amazing to be able to paint those memories onto their mural. My childhood memories were intermixed with the paintings of the local kids,” she says.Article content Some of Tara Cormier’s air-dried clay work. ContributedAs for what she is working on now, Cormier says it’s a line of polymer jewelry that will be an exclusive line sold at Raging Crow Distillery in Canning, N.S.She is also making some prototypes of air-dried clay trinket dishes and bowls, and possibly a colouring book. Tara Cormier operates Turtle Junction Creative Studio and is passionate about her artwork. ContributedWhen not creating, Cormier loves to travel. She has friends and family spread across the country — being married to a military officer allowed her to live in a number of provinces over the years, and she will take any opportunity she can to visit her old stomping grounds.Anyone wishing to view or make a purchase from Turtle Junction Creatives Studio can do so in person at 7Arts in Greenwood or Raging Crow Distillery in Canning. She can be found on Facebook and Instagram under TJC Painting or at turtlejunctioncreatives.com.Article content
MEET THE MAKERS: From kindergarten teacher to artist, NS woman finding her groove creatively
