My life is different than it was before.

All the things at the edges are now in the middle.

Things like cooking, cleaning and caring for myself. Making sure I’m in bed early and awake early for meditations and Morning Pages.  My self-care and morning routine has never been more important to me. Because now I am facing one of the biggest challenges (and joys) of my adult life. I’ve adopted a small horse. And she wants to live in my bed.

Dear Birdy has made a takeover bid for Toftie Towers. I haven’t made any art in months. I cannot take her to my studio as she would likely eat my paints.

Everything has changed. I hope I’ve developed more patience. I certainly have a new respect for single mothers and people who choose to become parents later in life. Perhaps my age has something to do with how hard this is?  I know we’ll get through the tough bit, but it’ll take a while and there may be less art until we get there. I eat, sleep and dream this puppy. And I’m looking forward to the day I have the energy to draw properly again. Birdy has already made her first appearance in paint (before we picked her up). Maybe you can find her if you have the (sold out) 2025 Club calendar?

Sometimes I get so tired everything goes a bit surreal. Only a few months ago I was footloose, fancy free and with a gorgeous German Shepherd. And I thought, dear Betty is getting to the age now when we could just start looking for the ‘crossover dog’.  And after a whole lot of searching I found Birdy on a farm in Devon: the perfect mix of every dog that’s meant a lot to me. Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain dog, poodle and German Shepherd (of course). Then Betty died suddenly and I found myself with an extra large puppy and a big hole in my heart.

I don’t remember anything being as hard as this. But then I haven’t been through as many griefs and challenges as most of the people I know. My career and social life have gone into a dark place: a holding pattern from whence they will be retrieved one fine day I’m sure of it. 

Given my age and strength this will likely be my last big dog. Definitely my last puppy. (remind me I said this when I go get another). So I’m trying to live in the moment, one day at a time, do what needs to be done and feel the gratitude and joy (which is huge). And if people want commissions and new work, new ideas, new collaborations, charity donations, a new book, more social media. Let them. That’s just not happening right now. Doubtless things are unfolding just the way they should.

I heard once that we don’t get the dog we think we want. We get the dog that will teach us what we need to learn. Well one of the things I’m learning is that I’ve been doing too much.

That said, new for February we have SIX brand new prints from C&D Fine Art. It’s a lovely collection - they’ve chosen well - and it’s the first in a limited series of smaller editions they’re releasing throughout 2025. You can peruse them on our website at www.samtoft.co.uk in the Remarqued Editions section, where they come with a complementary drawing. We have only THREE of each of these prints, so Ready Steady Go! And if tiny original drawings and handmade cards are beyond your budget, the rest of the edition can be found at these selected stockists:

• The Braithwaite Gallery, York 01904 655707
• Forest Gallery, Petworth 01798 368181
• Harbour Gallery, Whitstable 01227 277044
• Treeby & Bolton, Keswick 01768 77244
• The Rose Gallery, Northampton 01604 713743

I say ‘selected’ advisedly as each of these are small, independent, well run (often by family) businesses who offer excellent customer service, no pressure sales and an opportunity to see all the new work in situ with great online presence and more besides. This is where a sale builds a relationship, it’s not just money in the pocket of a multinational. But hey, I’m sure those poor ole multinationals need our support too.

And I’ve felt moved to add a bit of extra love and value for our Club members this month. We have more free tiny drawings (in exchange for your colouring-in expertise!), a 20% join up discount active across Mustardshop online, and coming soon some incredible additions to Clubroom too. There’s an exciting event in May where I will draw your pets live, and another opportunity to see your pets in my pictures during 2025. All details in your Club newsletter.  Little Mustard Club membership is here. 

So these are all good things.

Like puppies and spring bulbs and someone (anyone!) bringing you a cup of tea in bed of a morning. Or a cappuccino and a coconut macaroon in the afternoon (aren’t I the lucky one?!).

But there are a few bad things too. I’ll not dwell on them too long, but I feel I need to share.

There’s a new batch of forgeries/frauds/frustrating copyright infringers on TEMU we are trying to head off with little luck. It’s upsetting. Their sales are huge. The quality of what you receive is disappointing. The pictures are of products that do not even exist. It’s all a big lie and what you get is absolutely not what you see. Once we bring one down another pops back up. My efforts to chase them have exhausted me. And because of their huge influence in the marketplace, I am considering withdrawing completely from all open edition publishing after this year unless something can be done. I’m not receiving any money from many thousands of sales. My beloved imaginary friends and my 30 years of hard graft are going to line somebody else’s pockets. My new work is paying for fat cats’ dinners. That’s not too smart of me, is it? I’ll keep you up to date and please continue sending any information you find as it is very helpful if upsetting. 

Of course everyone has to make their crust. And I don’t begrudge the few market traders I see standing in the cold all day selling stolen photocopies of my work to earn a few bob. But these multinationals, operating cloak and dagger often out of China, do take the biscuit. They ask me to prove who I am (a passport, a signature and a video of me painting the very piece they are pirating does not suffice). Copyright laws cannot help. Solicitors can spend months bringing down one offender and 24 hours later another suspiciously similar one appears. TEMU, SHEIN etc support other large businesses and not the artists that make the work they are selling. It’s a sign of our times for who can resist a bargain? And I honestly don’t blame you if you fall for the lies and the excellent marketing. We’ve all done it. But I have no control over what you’ll receive and if the quality is not good, please send your complaints to the people you bought from, not me.

It’s upsetting, it’s frustrating, and you’d think it would be illegal and easily preventable. But perhaps I just need to accept it and make other plans (I’ll let you know what they are!).  I have a warm home, my good health, friends, family and loved ones, a small horse of a puppy and a community of good people who know the truth. Thank you for being there. Your kind words and support help more than I can say.

I’m loving my slow walks through city parks on short cold days with my darling girl by my side. I’m loving how she turns and runs back to me when I call with her floppy puppy legs. I’m loving how everybody assumes she’s a full-grown labradoodle, whereas me and you know full well she’s only halfway there. I’m training her as a therapy dog. It may take some time. One day I’d love you to meet her,

But until then I’m sending lots of love,

Sam 

I have a new exhibition coming up. 

Dedicated to the memory of Betty.  

She came into my life at 3 years old just a couple of weeks after she had failed to graduate from police dog school in Croatia. And as we boarded the train back to Brighton she stepped bravely into the unknown once again. Seven years almost to the day she left us.  

We are united in our experience of loss. And of course it seeps through into my paintings sometimes. My forthcoming online exhibition was created in Betty’s last months, even though I did not know it then. She taught me so much about staying in the present. She lived her life right here, right now, and exactly as she felt. Right up to the last moment when she closed her big trusting eyes trying her best to get through two tubs of icecream. 

It’ll be my last exhibition in a while but I hope you will enjoy looking at the new original work. Prices start from £95. 

We’ve made an up-to-date list and emailed all previous originals buyers to let you know you’re on the early access list. If you were expecting priority access but didn't see the email, you could check your spam folder and make the necessary adjustments so you’ll be able to receive the secret password on 28th November. 

All Club members will also automatically go on our Specials list.  Amber will send you an email confirming that soon. You can join Little Mustard Club here. 

Otherwise, the exhibition will launch publicly on Friday 29th November 7pm. There will be beautifully framed paintings, drawings and the remainder of my limited edition bronze stock. From previous experience of how the software works, items are not ‘yours’ until they are paid for. They are not reserved just because you put them in your basket. And things can tend to sell out quickly. But if you are unlucky we DO have a consolation prize.  

Over the exhibition weekend (29th, 30th, 1st), Nan and Louise will be adding extra gifts to your purchases from our online shop at www.samtoft.co.uk. There are lots of remarqued prints available including half price ‘end of lines’ available at Club Room (for Club members only). The more you buy the more surprises you’ll get! Let them know if there’s anything you’d like in particular by emailing mustardshop@aol.com and they’ll try their best while stocks last! There’s all manner of Mustard themed merchandise like signed Christmas cards, tiny drawings, tea towels, shopping lists, tea trays and greetings cards, vintage catalogues, small prints. It’s so nice to give, especially at this time of year. 

This year I’ll be giving to a small school in Kenya I visited in the Summer. The Oldubei Primary School in Nakuru. They truly have nothing. And Saul Beti our safari guide wakes up early to make Ugali in a makeshift kitchen for the children who walk miles to get there on an empty stomach. I’ll be sending £3000 from the sale of Doggie Taxi, one of the larger pictures. Heartfelt thanks to the purchaser. Together we will make a huge difference to this small school.  You can watch Saul showing me round the school in this video on my Facebook page or on YouTube. 

Sending big hugs to all. Especially those of you who are having a hard time at the moment. It is still such a beautiful world and there is much we can do to help people realise how special they are.  

Thank you all! 

Sam  

"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has or ever will have, something inside that is unique to all time.

It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression."

MR. ROGERS

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the peaceful gardens of my local Buddhist meditation centre with my new pup. We sit on a bench beneath a small tree with its large, lime green heart-shaped leaves. We’ve been watching as they turn almost  iridescent shades of shell pink. And as they fall there’s a dazzling abstract pattern creating itself on the dew-soaked grass. Fresh coral hearts join the yellows and the russets beneath. It’s an Eastern Redbud I think. Spectacular.  

No time for painting. Not much time for writing. No energy at all for dreaming up new ideas at my lovely quiet studio. The short nights, long days and addled brain will be familiar to all new mums, carers and puppy parents. The eyes may be bleary but my heart is full. And I know I am very lucky to have this time for contemplating the beauty of nature on my doorstep. Pushing an oversized pre-vaccinated puppy in a sturdy perambulator along the early morning streets. My little Birdy is too heavy to be carried far and we have resorted to wheels for our socialising. The mild November weather has been such a blessing.  

I stole her from a farm in Devon.  

I didn’t really steal her, but that’s how it must have felt for my Birdy.  

She’s a large brown mixed breed, cleverly incorporating parts of all of my former dogs. She’s a Newfoundland mix: part German Shepherd, part Poodle, part Bernese Mountain dog. Her coat is a bit curly, a bit fluffy, a bit wiry but with the ubiquitous rose pink puppy belly. Her paws are the size of Betty’s, her eyes are full of love and mischief, her teeth as sharp as razors.  I stole her from her mum and dad and grandparents and siblings. I stole her from the fields, the woods, the lakes and rivers, from the straw and the stables and the huge blue skies. Now she’s landed in a townhouse with a small walled garden and a tiny fish pond with just me and a talking budgie for company. Busy roads and pebbled beaches, seaside piers and promenades, cafés, city parks and cul-de-sacs. But her biggest shock I think was hearing seagulls instead of skylarks. Birdy  is a very brave pup indeed.  

Three weeks in and I’m fifty shades of shattered. Glad I got the paintings for my final show of 2024 to the framers before our trip to Devon. Will I ever paint again?!? 

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Louise (my dear sister, she of MUSTARDHAMPERS fame) has suggested a BUMPER shopping weekend for all! Every order received Friday 29th, Saturday 30th, Sunday 1st December will receive an extra gift (and the more you order the more she will gift!) … think signed Christmas cards, mini jigsaws, notebook and pen sets, lap trays, cushions, signed black and white prints - all absolutely FREE with your orders over that long weekend!

And Nan asked me to remind you of her last order dates to get there for Christmas: Sunday December 15th for UK and Monday 2nd December for elsewhere in the World. Anything after that, email mustardshop@aol.com for possible expedited delivery. 

Along with many other artists, my work is being stolen and counterfeited on platforms like Temu and Shein.  If you value art, please buy genuine items from authorised retailers to avoid supporting theft.

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Anyhoo, back now to puppy pleasures. There’s lots of work to do with the training. Lots of cuddles and patience in between. One day soon though we’ll both be sleeping through the night. And there’ll be a new brown dog sitting at the door of Brown Dog Studio! Can’t wait to get back to painting of course, but for now we have a few tough months ahead of us to nail down that housetraining. Wish me luck! 

Thank you so much for all your love, kind messages and support. It’s appreciated now more than ever. We are all good people living in a scary and uncertain times. Let us be the change we want to see in the world.  

Big love 

Sam Toft 

X

I had a little fig tree. I planted it a few years ago and it’s not so little anymore. In fact, it’s making a takeover bid for my little seaside garden. It’s been growing mostly horizontally this year, and it’s reached about 12 feet. I planted it because nothing at all seemed to grow in my dry shady chalky soil, and the snails hiding in the crumbling garden walls would eat any tentative green shoot. But I really love figs. And now I have Mr Figgy and he’s taking over the world! 

Granted it’s not quite as spacious in my little urban plot as formerly. And walking down the garden path is a bit of an obstacle course. The dense blanketing canopy of fig leaves has taken the light from my small but carefully chosen collection of snail hardy geraniums. Everything is so dark, strangled and weedy. And will those tiny figs ever even ripen? 

Does anyone remember the story of The Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle? One of my favourites as a child and it often comes to mind at times like these. Sometimes I think I am that old woman. It’s as if the kind fairy granted my wish for a strong luscious plant that could withstand my barren terrain. But as I sit, cramped up on my bench, beneath its rampant sticky branches I find myself wishing for something smaller and more ornamental. And I reflect on how easy it is to be sad and ungrateful even though I have everything I need. And most of what I asked for.

Oftentimes when I feel blank or numb I try to think of something I can create or do to change things up. And there are random unexpected happenings in the air (not least my self-published 2025 calendar with YOUR PETS IN - but more of that later). 

It was 2008 when I had my last puppy: the World-Famous Stanley Philpot. How did I manage to find a world-famous puppy? Well sometimes they just fall from the stars and launch a whole range of gorgeous stationery, anyone remember that?! 

Dear departed Stan was the mischievous side kick to both Sir Moses Browndog and my very special Betty who joined us at 3 years old. Betty loved to play with Stan but now, unable to walk and run as fast as she used to, misses out on the regular doggie boxing and raggling sessions in the park. For my ‘crossover dog’ and to provide a new lease of life for Betty, I’ve been searching for the perfect little docile puppy lump. And I’ve found a Newfoundland mix who will be joining us in 4 or 5 weeks. I’ll name this puppy Birdy. 

But we’ve just found out that Betty will be leaving us sooner than expected. I can’t talk about it yet. But so many of us will know how that feels. The sad part of the circle of life. We have just a few quiet precious days together now. So I’m cancelling my November open studio but still going ahead with the small planned online show. I’ve had to segue this piece of upsetting news into my otherwise informative upbeat newsletter, so please forgive the jolt. The new work will be dedicated to Betty, and indeed all your own pets, both here and sadly departed. I’ve always believed the best way to handle loss is to create something new, spreading a little joy through the sadness.  

NEW ONLINE SHOW

I was planning a cosy Club event at my private studio this November. But although this is cancelled now, we are moving it online. November 29th is the launch date of the next show at www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk 

‘Live as you are. But not today’ is the title of my new collection. Something I’ve learned from Betty. These last days, all I’ve wanted to do is cry. But I’m keeping things ‘normal’ for Betty. As a sensitive dog she picks up on emotions fast. There’ll be time enough for tears when she’s gone. 

We will have brand new mixed media paintings, limited bronze editions and some small original drawings in vintage frames. The last online show for a while.  

Priority Access for Little Mustard Club members and previous samtoftoriginals buyers with a secret online code. And in the spirit of spreading the love, I’ll be selling one of the pictures to raise funds for a fabulous little primary school in Kenya I visited on my recent trip. They have absolutely nothing. Children walk miles each morning on an empty stomach. How can they hope to learn on empty stomachs? Hopefully together we can buy a few books, food and supplies to keep them going for another year. We have so much, and they have so little.  I may post a few pictures and videos on my new social media account once I have time after Betty has passed. 

At time of writing I have just picked my first soft sun warmed fig. And figs are one of my most favouritest of fruits. So expensive and often disappointing from the supermarket, my homegrown fig was even sweeter than those I’ve picked on a Greek island Summer holiday. I may even consider planting another and I’ll see if there’s a place to bury a vinegar bottle beneath!  

It is both too early and too late for little Birdy pup to come into our lives. But I’ll make the best of it, you know I will. And who knows, there may be a little treasure waiting for us all somewhere over the rainbow? 

Big love x

Sam Toft