Sam Toft and her Wonderful World of Mustard

Artist's Journal

  • July 08, 2022

    An Exhibition for Summer

    By Sam Toft

    Hello friends,

    I hope this email finds you well?

    It’s a strange old time we’ve been having, many still suffering or recovering from the ravages of the pandemic and just a lucky few of us feeling that things are ‘back to normal’… but these times leave their mark even for us fortunate ones don’t they? For better or for worse I don’t think anything will be the way it was before. And if you’re like me, now more than ever there’s a pressing need to focus on the good things life has to offer. To be real, true, authentic but also optimistic, hopeful and to appreciate the little joys.

    In this spirit I am deciding to have an impromptu show. Online, not in person, as things are a bit topsy turvy with me as my little dog is old and ill so I have no idea what state I’ll be in come August. I’ve got lots of help so I can make sure little Stan is comfortable, as well as working a few days in the studio and having big walks with Betty in the woods. Among the trees I have always found such solace and inspiration and it is with much sadness that I accept Stan can no longer join us on our long tramps over the green hills. But he has his daily outings to the park where he can sometimes chase his ball and play hunt the biscuit. There’s nothing at all wrong with his nose and he still manages an amount of mischief which is right and proper for such an independent, opportunistic soul. And, as I’m realising more as I get older, grief can bring us closer to our friends and family. Sometimes the best of us comes out at the worst of times. 

    The problem with my recent shows is that there are never enough paintings to go round. I produce much less and the demand is high. So I’m deciding, like most galleries, to operate a priority list so certain people will get the link to the original work before everybody else. This should avoid the log jam as sales go live. I know from the many emails I receive how disappointing and frustrating it has been for so many of you. 

    How to join the small band of individuals on the priority list? We will be including all previous buyers from Sam Toft Originals (as loyalty is important) and also members of Little Mustard Club (as I think membership is a good gauge of people really interested in my work).  July memberships are now open at Little Mustard Club so no-one needs to miss out. The small pieces will be the same price as always and the slightly larger pieces (as they take me so much more time) will be subject to a 30% increase in line with  gallery pricing. I’m anticipating a small collection of around 7-10 paintings.

    Little Joys goes live on Saturday 6th August. And everyone on our priority list (we’ll call them ‘the Specials’) will get an additional email tomorrow with all the extra details. If you don’t receive it and you think you should be on the list then please let us know by return. And nearer the time I’ll send a reminder too as I know we all have a lot on our minds right now. 

    And let’s end with a little story I may have told you before. Even after all this time, the strength of the experience still wakes me up at night sometimes. Although I have the most terrible memory and forget most things quickly, strong feelings always stay with me.

    It all started a few years ago when my close neighbours were making a nuisance of themselves. I live in a terrace right next to a block of flats so it’s to be expected, but the noise was so loud over a number of weeks, it sounded as though there was a live band at the bottom of my garden. They would practice the same parts of one particular song time and again. They sounded so earnest it could have been heartwarming, and there was this carefully scripted message repeated over and over -through a microphone- thanking the audience for their loyalty and admiration, followed by something that sounded like a primal scream. Long anguished animalistic cries plagued my Sunday afternoons. But I choose to live in a city so I guess it’s part and parcel.

    But then the food missiles started. Just chunks of stale bread at first and I hardly noticed them as I think my dogs hoovered up the evidence. Always mysterious trails of breadcrumbs and quite a lot of drooling, but I let that pass. And then they started with empty tubes of Pringles and tubs of half eaten hummus, dirty tissues and baked bean cans. I found the remains when I went outside in my garden but never actually saw them being thrown. I looked up at the blank grid of windows from the neighbouring block. Was there someone sniggering behind those curtains?

    And it went on. One day I found my little dog trying to swallow a leg of fried chicken, raw inside and from the foul smell not too fresh. Boy, was he sick that night. There followed weeks of clearing up meat bones in red sauce, fast food containers, rotten eggs. And each time I felt myself getting more and more angry. This is the feeling I remember so clearly. I was absolutely livid. And as the mature adult I am I decided -rather than talk to anyone face to face- to post a strongly worded note on the front door of the flats. I’m not proud of myself. Every night I went to bed fuming. 

    If I look on the bright side, one good thing that came of all this was discovering how many lovely people lived in those flats. They put kind notes through my door or came round to tell me it was not them. Then one wise person came up with a solution. I really didn’t see it, but I bet you’ve guessed already?

    After weeks of seething, we found out it was the seagulls. They had been nesting on my roof. I discovered a rare treasure trove of rotting food and rubbish when I climbed up there. The items in my garden had merely been their overflow. All that energy wasted feeling hateful. I still wonder how I was capable of such righteous anger. And I was so wrong.

    So what I learnt from that is to take things with a pinch of salt and not be too ready to jump to conclusions. And to do something to stop those pesky seagulls nesting in my chimney pots. 

    I’ll be in touch tomorrow with those Specials on my list and wish you a grand weekend,

    Big love,

    Sam x

  • June 02, 2022

    The Merry Month of June

    By Sam Toft
    It’s the right weather isn’t it?

    It’s something someone said to me n Betty as we were walking across the golf course up at Hollingbury on a sunny day recently.

    Truth is, I DON’T like it too hot personally, but I LOVE that it makes so many people happy and chatty. For me a sunny day always seems like an extra thing to do. I know I should get out and enjoy myself, but a colder day just let’s me BE… And then I got to thinking, he’s right that man on the golf course. It’s actually always the right weather! When the sun is too warm it’s a welcome reminder for me to be resourceful. When nothing is uncomfortable, there is no incentive to change.

    Most of my life I’ve felt the pressure of being too busy, and it’s motivated me to make some changes. And when there’s a hot day I’m reminded I can do that then as well. Instead of feeling grumpy with the weather, I can walk the dogs early and keep the blinds down. I can open all the windows and dry my sheets outdoors. I can appreciate people’s sunloving smiles and feel slightly less worried about the those who live on the streets in all weathers. It makes me especially grateful for the trees and the cool of my studio.

    So to help manage the stress I can feel when I’m over busy, I’m going to take the advice of so many of you out there - thank you - and start doing less!

    I’m going to raise the prices of original work as I’ll be painting fewer pieces. Which is a lovely reward for anyone who has bought my work over the last 30 years … It’s about time your investment paid off, eh? I’ll be healthier and happier and able to spend more time writing, sculpting and walking the dogs.

    But this price hike is not undertaken without some feelings of guilt, a fair bit of awkwardness and a little shame. Why should I charge so much more when many people can’t afford it? Why shouldn’t I fulfill the desires of everyone who wants to own an original Sam Toft?

    So I’ve thought about this long and hard, and here’s the ‘half way house’ that will help both myself and my nearest and dearest.

    The ‘almost original’ experience: For people who want artwork with original sketches in the title line, we have the remarqued prints. For those who like things you can’t get anywhere else, there are self published prints, signed books and even Studio Proofs that come with a complimentary original drawing direct from my own Mother’s garage in Cornwall. Visit MUSTARDSHOP at www.samtoft.co.uk and find the Exclusive Limited Editions.

    For people who miss my own little shop in Brighton (now closed) or who weren’t able to visit because they live far faraway, during 2022 there’s a new Members’ Club! Here you will find an exclusive membership pack, monthly emails with competitions, prizes and giveaways plus a chance to hobnob with fellow Mustardeers. You can even give a Gift Membership. There are little films, interviews, bits of gossip, lots of social media content (@littlemustardclub) AND I don’t have to lift a finger. Little Mustard Club is run from my private studio in Hove by the fabulously brilliant Amber Elise. It’s the nearest you’ll get to ‘an audience with Sam’ without me actually having to be there. You can find it at www.littlemustardclub.com

    For people who want to visit an actual shop in the UK or buy mail order with real customer service I can heartily recommend The Braithwaite Gallery in York They have a dedicated SamToft room, a HUGE range of Toftie goodies and all the latest designs from limited editions to framed cards, mugs, treasures and all things Mustard.

    For people who’d like free postage and overnight service there’s amazon & eBay, or for nice wrapping and slow service there’s my Sister’s hamper company at www.mustardhampers.co.uk or Nan Mustard’s little mailorder shop again at www.samtoft.co.uk

    For cards, limited editions and the full SamToft merchandise collection visit the publishers direct at ArtPress, CollierDobson or Artgroup. And for the big London gallery experience there are those lovely people at Panter and Hall. For double basses, violas and cellos visit www.timtoftviolins.com and for excellent help coping with life and it’s many challenges my sister has just launched @louisetoftcoaching … with over thirty year’s experience (although you’d not know it to look at her) in a whole host of techniques I don’t understand enough to explain. You can contact her currently only through Instagram until she gets her web page up n running. She offers free Clarity Sessions to find out if you’d be a good fit to work together. If you’re not on Instagram (why would you be if you didn’t need to, I’d say!) drop me a line and I’ll forward your messages.

    So I’ll close by sending you all the love from this tired heart. I’m very much looking forward to a quiet June celebrating my birthday month with a few little trips, some time off and a fair bit of sketching. The next opportunity to buy (VERY expensive) originals paintings will be in November from www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk where we have just received new stock of all the small edition bronzes. And do visit the shop at www.samtoft.co.uk SOON where the new self published prints have just landed. The Studio Proofs are selling fast!

    Warm wishes,

    A very grateful Sam Toft x

    PS for those Club Members who signed up for Pet Portraits… I’m getting through them very slowly. Remind me not to offer 12 at a time again. It’s taking me blummin ages!
  • May 09, 2022

    A Horse Ate My Bag

    By Sam Toft
    I must admit I’m a little scared of horses. Because I don’t understand them and they are so big. And generally I’m a little afraid of children because I don’t understand them and they’re so little. To me dogs have always seemed more straightforward. But back to this bag eating horse.
     
    A couple of weeks ago on one of my intrepid weekend walks, I found myself needing to cross a field where there were three horses. It was a public footpath and I put my dogs on their leads, but when I looked up I noticed they’d already started ambling towards us. They looked friendly enough but very big, and it soon became obvious they would reach us before we got to the stile. Instead of running (which my brain was screaming at me to do) I slowed right down and worked on calming the dogs and myself. I had no apples or carrots. Eeek.
     
    As they got closer I saw that two of the horses looked quite old with bowed backs and cloudy eyes. The other one was a fair bit friskier. I’d heard that horses (and cows) can be more interested in dogs than anything else, so I picked up little Stan so he wouldn’t get trampled, and let go of Betty. She promptly ran to the side of the field and pushed herself under the gate. One safe. I looked back at the horses. They had quickened their pace and were making a beeline straight for us. Double Eeek.
     
    And you know how life is all about expectations. And how managing your expectations is a good way to help with disappointments and disconcerting surprises. Well I had certainly not expected to be trampled to death by three blind horses that day. I suddenly had this strong vision of the orange wall flowers and the frothy blue forgetmenots I’d just planted in my garden. I’d never live to see them bloom again. But this can’t be how it all ends, I reassured my racing heart. And as they surrounded me, nuzzling at my jacket and pockets, I inhaled deeply and smelt their grassy breath. I know I’m pushing 60 but I’m too young too die, I whimpered. Stanley let out a warning growl.
     
    Brave as I am, I continued walking slowly towards the stile where I could see Betty was hiding in the shadows beneath some trees. Still safe. They started nibbling at my shoulders, tugging at my sleeves. I realised they were actually going to eat us alive. And then I remembered a happy song. I’ll go down singing, I thought.
     
    Inching closer to the stile one of them pulls off my hat. It’s not one of my favourites, I decide, I can sacrifice the hat. And if they start on my hair that’s fine because it’s all short anyway. I start singing a bit louder and push Stanley’s curly head inside my anorak. And I feel new empathy for all of the people I meet who are so afraid of Betty, my German Shepherd, that they would rather jump into the road than share the pavement as we walk by slowly and calmly. At least I’ll die a kinder person…
     
    But you know how this story ends already, dear reader. Although you were probably scared stiff I’d be mortally wounded at the very least? I remember looking around at those three long faces and I really appreciated their gentle softness from the other side of the fence. I couldn’t resist a little tickle on one of the soft grey muzzles held outstretched. Getting bolder I tried wafting away the flies from their eyes at which point the frisky one pulled at my shoulder bag and chomped right through the strap with his yellow crunchy teeth. I’m left with slightly greenish slimy strings.
     
    Well as I live to die another day, I’d like to share with you the dates and times for our May events.
     
    15th May 12-4pm Pet Portraits & Afternoon Tea on Zoom
    18th May 6pm Sales go Live for my new collection of original pictures, drawings and bronzes at www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk
     
    15th May : A Virtual Afternoon Tea with Pet Portraits and Prizes!
    If that sounds good to you we’d love to have you join us… you can drop in, have the whole thing running away in the background, or tune in to specific events… Register here to get the link. 

    Here’s what to expect (times in BST):
     
    12-12.15 Get a pot of tea on, plate up the sandwiches and enjoy a warm welcome from our sofa in Brighton. There’ll be a bit of a meet and greet from Sam, Graham, Betty and Stan. And most probably Almondine the budgie, as he never likes being left out
     
    12.15-2.15 Eight 15 minute Portraits drawn live, for the people who have booked already.  ?Mr Mustard and your pet, imagine that!
     
    2.15-2.30 Sam has a break to rest her fingers … she’s getting quite a lot of cramps nowadays. Take this time to do your drawings on the theme of Afternoon Tea. Later you’ll be asked to hold them up and there’ll be PRIZES for our favourites!
     
    2.30-3pm Two 15 minute pre-booked portrait slots (all sold out now)
     
    3-4pm During this hour we will have plenty time for a bit of fun, Mustard-style. The two FREE ‘nominate your friend’ Portraits awarded to Little Mustard Club members will be completed offline (and all of the portraits will be sent to you the following week). In no particular order, here’s what we have in store:
    • Get your Afternoon Tea drawings ready… we’ll be giving out PRIZES for our favourites!
    • Do you have a Question for Sam? Write it in the comments box on Facebook during this hour and Andy will get them together for our Q & A sesh
    • Over to Amber, Executive Director of Little Mustard Club!
    • A special Members’ giveaway and her chance to show off June’s BIG COMPETITION prize. June is Sam’s birthday month so she has been extra generous. There will be THREE prizes. And if Doris Fruit Salad means anything to you, it’s time to get excited. Little Mustard Club will always be small so there’s a very good chance to win prizes and competitions. The Club runs for the whole of 2022, offers a Welcome Box (a perfect surprise gift), monthly giveaways and priority booking for the next event. You can join or buy a gift membership at www.littlemustardclub.com
    • Over to Nan at our online shop in Cornwall with news of our self published prints and a special Nan Mustard giveaway
    • Any other ideas of what you might like to see??
    18th May from 6pm BST we are opening up sales for Sam’s new Exhibition: We’ll Know Where We’re Going When We Get There We’ll have a new collection of paintings, drawings and bronzes. You can collect from the studio by appointment or we can send to any UK address for £30 (It is so very difficult to send abroad since Brexit, import duties are horrendous and postage to the US in particular has leapt up in price. Possibly you could have something sent to a UK address and organise your own international carriage?)
     
    Anyway I’ll love you and leave you. I’m off on a trip just now to see Nan in Cornwall. A train trip and some Cornish air. Marvellous.
     
    Looking forward to seeing you soon!
     
    Big Love,
     
    Sam
    X
  • April 29, 2022

    We'll know where we're going when we get there

    By Sam Toft
    Hallo lovelies,

    It’s nearly May already!

    Such a lovely month for a holiday I always think. It feels fresh, not too warm and still the opportunity to be wearing hats and scarves. Which will always be my favourite attire. But if you haven’t got it together to book that little trip you’ve been dreaming about, I hope you’ll be joining me and Team Mustard at our Afternoon Tea Event Sunday 15th May.

    For me May is all about the different yellows. There are still daffodils in the supermarkets although the woods are full of bluebells, and I do so love a cut flower. The ranunculus are splendid at this time of year too and I always keep mine until way past their best. After all their blazing colours I can’t bear to throw them away. And every time I think I must have had the last, I find another bunch of yellow tulips to display in my old silver-glass vase. And whenever I can, I feel I must have a sprig of yellow freesia for by my bed, so if I wake up in the night wondering where I am (it’s a thing!) I am calmed by their peppery scent: my Grandad’s favourite. The yellow calla lily I’m keeping inside as long as I can. And when it goes outside I think I’ll do a big display of fat lemons instead.

    Yellow has been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember. I’ve always found it a constant comfort when everything changes so fast. Like the yellow wool blanket I have wrapped around me on the sofa as I type, it make me feel safe. I know there are so many awful things going on in the world today. So much horror, sadness and shortage I can do nothing about. I just sit here and work hard to make myself feel strong and positive, so I can make more Mustard...

    So yes it’s nearly May already, and I feel I’ve hardly done a thing. It’s like I’ve spent the year so far trying to make space for whatever’s coming next. Grieving the changes and trying to find the energy to plan something special. When perhaps I could spend more time accepting and appreciating what I have already. Feels like I’m always playing catch up.

    I was planning to have an Open Studio Event in May to coincide with Brighton Festival. But when it came to it I didn’t have the heart. After all the ups and downs of last year, I really feel like having this one to myself. No big shows but instead little online events and nurturing our new little Club. Keeping things small, manageable, inclusive. And if you are around this May and fancy a bit of sunshine, Mustard style, we have a few things to share with you.

    Tuesday 3rd May we will be opening up the memberships again for Little Mustard Club. If you’d like a delightful little box of goodies, a monthly newsletter, smashing competition prizes, giveaways and updates from Brown Dog Studio, then this could be the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one.

    During May I will be doing an online Pet Portraits Day, where I will draw your pet with Mr M with the aim of raising £1000 for Macmillan Cancer Research. I’ll be offering 10 spaces at £100 each, available first to our Little Mustard Club members, who will also have the opportunity to nominate a friend for a chance to receive one of two Mustard Pet Portraits completely free. The Pet Portraits will be part of our Afternoon Tea Zoom Event 12-4pm BST Sunday 15th May, where I’ll be drawing live 12-3pm and then there’ll be an hour free for random fun and games (you supply the tea and cake). And if you’d like to make a painting yourself for our Zoom Gallery on 15th May (hold it up to show us all) then please get creating your splendid masterpiece on the theme of Afternoon Tea and win a prize! All details of how to join and where in my next Newsletter, early May. I’m still working out the details!

    I do have a date however for the launch of my new exhibition at www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk There’ll be 15 small paintings, 12 drawings and 7 bronze sculptures on display in my virtual gallery come 18th May. I’m aiming to make a few more ceramics too but they may go separately or later in May as we totally crashed the website last year when we tried selling it altogether and there were so many disappointed faces. So I am not promising anything except 27 brand new framed pieces all completed in the last couple of months, some of which will be featured on social media during May but none will be for sale until 18th May. Exact details in my next letter early May. I’m hoping it will all come clear in the next couple of weeks. And I’m trusting We’ll know where we’re going when we get there. It’s the title of the new exhibition and my most ambitious bronze sculpture to date.

    Wishing you all the shades of yellow you could wish for. Or any colour you like actually. Why don’t you go out a buy yourself a nice little bunch of flowers?

    Big love,

    Sam Toft
    X
  • February 13, 2022

    Hello From the Woods

    By Sam Toft
    Since I’ve been here I’ve lost two hats. And one dog.

    I found the dog.

    And upsetting though it is to mislay my very favourite berets, this heartache is truly tiny in comparison with the temporary loss of my dear old Stan. The Theory of Relativity in action. But I’m hoping that the next time my (snackhungry and selectively deaf) little Doodle Dog decides to do a bit of sneaky unaccompanied sandwich surfing I’ll choose to poke myself in the eye to help me feel Relatively better, rather than rushing hither and thither discarding fistfuls of head gear with such high sentimental value. My poor heart aches at the thought of the handmade velvet one with the satin lining and a blob of white paint on the back… And the burgundy striped knitted one with a tiny turquoise stalk going a bit bobbly with age… Is it so wrong to miss them so much?

    Hat loss aside, I love being here in a little cottage on the edge of the Wild Woods. It’s such a luxury to be able to spend this month away from it all. Valentine’s Day will pass me by in a flurry of thoughts and sketches as I promise myself to be a bit more organised next year. And the space I’m giving myself is already being filled with some delicious new ideas. I won’t write about them yet. They are as precious to me as a ‘fresh-baked’ pink puppy, eyes shut tight and tiny paws flailing. And you know they’ll need to be at least 10 weeks old before I could even think of sharing them with you…

    As you may have heard, changes are afoot.

    Little Mustard Shop, Brighton has now closed for good.

    March 1st sees the launch of my new dream, the Little Mustard Club.

    MUSTARDSHOP online at www.samtoft.co.uk will be slimming down and firming up. From May 1st onwards Nan will be selling only unique and exclusive items such as limited editions with hand drawn pictures in the title line, self published prints, cards and books. Things you cannot get anywhere else. But more of that nearer the time. There is pressing news from the Little Club!

    Little Mustard Club has been a dream of mine for such a while, but I’ve never had the time to make it a reality until I met Amber Elise. Together we have created something pretty special. She will be Head Honcho, Club Secretary and Executive Producer/Director, as well as Editor in Chief of the Tunnocks Wafers stores. Worry ye not, each batch of Tunnocks will be tested for freshness. Amber is the kind of woman who goes that extra mile. She also curates Dog & Bone, the smallest gallery in Brighton and Hove. And creates bespoke murals, chocolate wrappings and dazzlingly colourful art in her own time ( check her out at www.amberelise.com ).

    I see our little Club as a way to offer a little extra to those who really want it.

    For some people, the paintings of my Wonderful World of Mustard offer something whimsical to hang on a wall somewhere or to buy as a gift. For others the Mustards have become something of a lifestyle choice! There are mugs and stationery and cushions and calendars and cards and limited editions the whole world over. And also there are aprons and tea towels and bags and books. I’ve become one of those people who Googles themselves and thinks, "Well I never!"

    So, our Little Mustard Club will appeal to those of you who would like more of an exclusive insiders’ view. A small Members’ Club running throughout 2022 with limited memberships offered on a first come first served basis each month ( sign up to receive details of exactly when these opportunities arise at littlemustardclub@gmail.com ). For me, the main idea of the Club is to offer prizes, competitions, giveaways and small scale events to the people who are super keen. I will still be writing several newsletters a year to you all with general news and major events, plus I’ll be doing bits of social media as and when. But going forward Amber will be offering more regular updates and answering all Club queries, Rachel will be dealing with general Mustard business and Originals enquiries, and I will be losing hats and painting pictures.

    There will be a lovely little membership package sent to your door, with exclusive items and personal favourites from the Mustard Vaults should memberships sell out in March, there will be opportunities to sign up in April and so on throughout the year. Also - through monthly email newsletters and Instagram posts - Amber will be awarding monthly competition prizes, a monthly PRIZE DRAW for our book package giveaway, and there’s a chance to nominate a friend each month for a free gift membership. Plus there’ll be priority booking for a pet portrait event tbc in May or June, and special offers at Open Studio Events (covid permitting). The membership fee for Little Mustard Club will be £60 for 2022 including UK postage. For international postage please contact Amber at littlemustardclub@gmail.com … AND if you have Instagram or Facebook and follow @littlemustardclub , you will have FREE access to the photos and stories from my private seaside studio brought to you by Amber Elise. You can also join in with all of the competitions. But only members will receive Amber’s monthly email newsletter, exclusive offers and competition prizes. You have to be in it to win it. I think our members will be very lucky indeed.

    But back to the present moment. Here, from my little cottage in the woods, I’m sending lots of good thoughts to you this February. Life has dealt us some hard blows of late. There have been sad losses and COVID has left its mark on countless lives. So many are still suffering. But for those of us still here, it’s the month of snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and LOVE. SO however you choose to spend this Valentine’s Day, I hope you are kind to yourself. Love yourself up. You are blummin wonderful, unique and very special. The world would be a sadder place without you and your gifts. You are one of life’s treasures after all.

    Until the next time,

    Big love,
    Sam Toft x
  • February 02, 2022

    Little Mustard Club

    By Sam Toft

    It was so sad to make the final visit to my shop. All those memories like ghosts lurking beneath the layers of paint. It was my dream and I did it. I should be proud of that. But I could not bear to close it up myself… I am ever so grateful to Amber who organised it all. And with her help we are creating a Little Mustard Club to take flight in March. It could be exciting …

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