Hallo dear friends,

Spring is here with all her bright and changing moods.

Just this morning I saw so many moving and beautiful things:

• The town centre’s newly laid paving slabs with their rare pristine gleam before the blackened chewing gum polka dots descend
• A large crow building his nest and a young man with no shoes calling "Leave me alone" to anyone who would listen
• Herds of starlings ambushing the pigeons and seagulls as young girls throw their McDonalds breakfasts into the sky
• A chance sighting from the bus of a former friend, with their head firmly in the clouds and sad eyes
• A muddle of cellophane-wrapped flowers & a weather-beaten teddy bear on the roadside
• An accidental glance at my reflection in a huge Primark window display reveals I am no longer twenty one

Blossom falling. Bulbs sprouting.

Spring is here.

I’m so grateful for all your Get Well Soon messages. I’m in robust health, thank you, it’s just that I’ve been absent from social media recently. I’m taking a few months’ break from all that… You know how things can get ‘a bit much’ sometimes? And dear Amber is doing a few posts which is so helpful.

The most rewarding thing for me is spending quiet time creating new work but what gets in my way is ‘everything else’! I find I’m trying (and failing!) to be all things to all people. But I’m sure that’s a familiar story for many of us?

My own solution is Little Mustard Club. Amber can help organise, post and share the material for those of you who’d like a little extra. It’s 12 months since we launched the Club and we’re proudly building on it each year.

There are already lots of ways to access the Sam Toft range, internationally available, and for all budgets.

But for those who would like something more exclusive - original work maybe, or priority access to bespoke items, regular newsletters, insider knowledge - we now have a Club for that!

I have been much more relaxed and creative now I have the luxury of time and space, with Amber running the Club and Socials. So many new ideas as I work towards my Big London show at Panter and Hall in November. I’m currently painting on vintage book covers and illustrating the Crookleigh Chronicles. More information on those later but these two new pieces pictured below are soon to be released as limited editions for Club members.

I’ve started working with Ami, a talented ceramicist, to produce a small range of half thrown/ half handbuilt painted figures, and I’m hoping to find the time to work on some bigger pieces with master potter Roberto Gagliano at Pottery Gagliano in Brighton. Some of you may remember our previous show Anything is Possible at www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk that sold out within hours? I’m hoping to repeat that success with a very different vision. My ideas are for a small series of large urns with story quilts painted on them. If we can just find the time to make that happen, ANYTHING is possible at www.potterygagliano.co.uk

Meantime I’ve been learning (slowly and badly!) to throw a few plant pots on the pottery wheel at Pottery Gagliano and you can watch my various personal twitterings, courtesy of Amber, @thesamtoftinsider on Instagram

I hope you will join us in our new adventure,

Sam Toft

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