Article by Bronwyn Boyer / Photography by Josianne Masseau

Stan Tait is not a man of ambition but of pure existence. He simply allows life to unfold, knowing that whatever happens and wherever he finds himself, there he will be. Even during the lowest points, he trusts that the ride of life is a safe one. Tait was born in White Rock, British Columbia and grew up in New Westminster, Burnaby, Kitsilano and Vancouver. His creativity was fostered by spiritual influences and steeped in the unique cultural energies of the 1960s, when he was the drummer of a touring band. When he felt the need to recharge his batteries, Tait discovered the art of designing and making jewelry.

“I didn’t aspire to make jewelry,” Tait recalls. “It was just something I started doing. It was the same with music. Being a drummer was easy for me, same with writing songs. I took piano lessons as a child but I think I developed my musical ability in my mother's womb. She was a soprano in the church choir. I grew up in that choir loft with a massive pipe organ.”

Coming from that upbringing, Tait dove headlong into the dynamic west coast music scene.

“We were all original players, not trying to copy anyone,” he says. “We never rehearsed, we just played. There was some kind of energetic shift that happened after World War II for us baby boomers because we were just different. It’s hard to describe. It was like a living, breathing entity with our music and art and the connections we made. It was just life, with no affectation.”

In 1974, Tait felt it was time for a change. As if orchestrated by fate, one night Tait’s partner brought home a box of sterling silver wire, a mandrel and a pair of pliers.

“I didn't know what I was doing,” he recalls. “I was working in a four-foot by ten-foot Murphy bed closet in Kitsilano in a basement apartment. I wasn't trying to do or be anything, I was just allowing creativity to flow through me.”

Tait prospered in this new path, no doubt thanks to his neutrality for the outcome. This also made it easy for him to make connections in the industry. “Luckily, I had no fear of talking to people,” he says. “I knew how to pick up the phone and introduce myself. And I always did my best to give really good service.”

Tait’s first sale was to a premier gallery in Gastown called The Quest. Tait brought his jewelry to show the owner, knowing she was very particular about polishing.

“Polishing is important when you make sterling silver jewelry,” he explains. “When you heat it up, copper rises to the surface and creates a film. If you don't polish that off, it creates what’s called ‘fire scale,’ which gives it a shadowy effect.”

Selling to The Quest led to Tait’s first major commission of four bracelets in 18-karat gold for Birks. Considering his only training was watching a goldsmith named Chang Sun, Tait’s path seemed destined.

Tait’s blend of spiritual teachings is woven into his artwork. “I was raised Catholic and I went to a private boarding school with Christian Brothers of Ireland,” he says. “They were deeply spiritual men with a purpose, which is inundated in their faith. At the same time, I was immersed in Native spirituality as well as Eastern traditions.”

Another significant turning point for Tait was meeting his second partner, from Rosseau, Ontario. She lived on a 400-acre farm outside of town, and her parents followed the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf School of Education.

In the early 1980s, Tait moved from his home in Vancouver overlooking the ocean to a one-room schoolhouse in Rosseau in the middle of winter, with a broken foot and no firewood. But they persevered, built a log home and had three beautiful children.

Meanwhile, Tait had an opportunity to sell at the Ontario Crafts Council store in Yorkville, called the Guild Shop. “I phoned that store when I first arrived, and they took everything I had,” Tait recalls. “Then they asked me to make larger and more expensive pieces. It was like getting a record contract and having to write and record three albums right away. Ontario opened up a whole new field of opportunity for me.”

In 1992, Tait established his first very own studio gallery in Rosseau, in a small addition to Hilltop Interiors, now owned by Lena Patten. At that time, it was owned by Audrey Tournay, founder of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. Two years later, he moved his gallery and family to Port Carling to qualify for the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour and the One-of-a-Kind Art Show.

“I'm now celebrating 50 years as a jeweller,” says Tait. “And Muskoka has been the most incredible, fertile landscape for me creatively. The galleries and clients here are excited about work that’s new and innovative. I couldn't do this in most places in Canada.”

In 1988, Tait joined Muskoka Arts and Crafts and took part in his first craft show, Art in the Park, and never looked back. “They were very supportive,” he recalls. “Muskoka is an absolute breeding ground for creativity. They wanted us to expand, grow and develop. It’s a fabulous place to be as an artist.”

Despite Tait’s easy success, he is no stranger to the dark depths of tragedy and loss. “I've had phases where I feel I can't move,” he shares. “That’s when I would just sit and make stuff, like little pine tree pendants and earrings. I'd make hundreds of rings and hundreds of earrings – just repetitive production work.”

These days, Tait is focused on custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. “I still have my iconic pieces that I make and designs from the '70s when I got my start,” he says. “But my inspiration could come from anywhere. Creativity is about keeping things moving. It flows like a river, and you can try to dam it up, but it doesn’t stop.”

Currently, Tait is repurposing family heirloom gold pieces that can no longer be worn. By melting a ring down, for example, he can add it to a whole new piece to keep the sentimental value alive while giving it a modern design.

“There are so many jewelry pieces inherited from those who have passed on,” says Tait. “And they’re just sitting around because they’re too delicate to be worn. So, I'm turning them into beautiful wearable art. It’s inspiring to have someone bring me a something that’s meaningful to them and give it new life.”

One of the most notable career highlights for Tait was in 2009 when he signed a licensing contract with Zales Jewelry Corporation for his angel pendant design.

The angel pendant was designed for a client whose best friend was recovering from surgery. After nursing her friend for six weeks through a devastating health crisis, she wanted to leave her with a guardian angel as a symbol of her love and care.

“She asked me to design an angel,” Tait recalls, “And as I was talking to her on the phone, I sketched it out. I've still got the drawing. She wanted it in gold, which I didn’t have and she needed it quickly. It weighed heavily on my mind, not just the logistics of fulfilling the order but also about the intention behind the angel. It had to be something that immediately tells the recipient, ‘I love you, I’m here for you, and I will be your guardian angel. When I can’t be with you physically, I’ll be with you in spirit.’”

That’s when the angel pendant was born. Tait soon began making the pendant for families and friends. He introduced them into his showcase and they become quite popular, so he launched a website to raise money for various charities.

Tait made the first hundred by hand and then he had a mold made for production in Toronto. He then hand-polished them and mailed them around the world.

“I realized I had something that could touch a lot of lives,” Tait says. “So, I started searching for a company that could make, distribute and sell the pendant. I phoned everybody I could think of. Finally, I was looking at a jewelry magazine, and I read about Zales Jewellers in the US. They were the second largest jewelry retailer in North America. I managed to reach the CFO and I told him about my angel. He told me to send a package to the executive vice president. I spent a week writing a letter to introduce the philosophy and the intention behind creating the angel, explaining that it's not just a product but a sincere connection between people.”

Tait’s heartfelt presentation was successful. A couple of weeks later, he got a phone call from the executive vice president of merchandising in Dallas, Texas. She loved the idea and had never seen anything like it before. She flew Tait to Texas for a meeting with the department heads. They all loved it and offered him an exclusive licensing agreement.

“All I wanted was the royalties on the design,” says Tait. “So, they were very amenable to working with me. We developed a trademark and a copyright, which led to a complete line of display cases for each store. My pendant ended up in 1,400 stores across America, front and centre. An Olympic athlete was even wearing one during an interview on ABC television. It was pretty surreal.”

Once again, Tait’s sincere and authentic attitude proved advantageous. His vision for the angel pendant was not to make a lot of money but to be a vehicle to celebrate the powerful connection between loved ones. The financial success was just icing on the cake.

“For me, the success of the angel pendant is in the fact that people come to my gallery and say they need one,” Tait explains. “Not, ‘I want one,’ but ‘I need one.’ It just felt like the angel came to me for a reason and I did something with it.”

Currently, Tait’s gallery is in Bracebridge where he lives with his wife Sue, who is also an artist. Visits to the gallery are by appointment through his website.

Whether he’s single-handedly producing a song in his recording studio or designing a unique piece of jewelry, it’s effortless – he’s not doing, he’s just being.

“Life is the ultimate unfolding experience,” Tait says. “It's trusting that if you meet life, life will meet you back.”