Sam Toft Originals

Hello dear friends,

Another email so soon after the last? Well, I’ve got a story for you from Crow Log where I came today to do some magic…

As you know, I’m a one for the daydreaming. I do ‘fantasy dog buying’ ’fantasy furniture buying’, ‘fantasy house buying’… So when the ideal one comes along, I can jump on it like Tigger. It’s lovely researching those perfect exercise routines from the comfort of my couch and looking at clothes that would look great if I lost that extra half stone. I spend so much of my time thinking and planning and writing and sorting. I’m same with my art – nothing for ages and then a whole exhibition comes together in a few crazily creative months. The ruminating is the bigger half of the process.

So here I am at Crow Log wondering how I can capture all these shades of green with my pastels and paints. The birds are already here waiting and I’m feeling the familiar jitters. It’s what happens when there’re new plans afoot – they are like actual bubbles in my body. And all because after years of ‘not really looking’ I have stumbled across a really enticing new home and studio prospect. Fell in love instantly of course, but I’m really confused because I already have my forever home, a four-storey Regency townhouse near the sea in Brighton (complete with an attached basement flat for extra income): Tofty Towers

Is it really time to move on? I ask my crows.

To catch a butterfly, they say, you need to move quickly and gently.

It feels unsettling, inspiring, strange, like waking up in the middle of dream with an intriguing idea I don’t fully understand.

It’s like when I had my first dog, the love of my life, dear Moses. I never wanted another. When the World Famous Stanley Philpot fell into my lap I was enchanted and launched a whole new swimwear range, cards and a calendar.

It’s like when I was lying for months on my couch feeling very ill and I realised it was the perfect time to get a little bird. I’d never wanted one before, but, I reasoned, I had whole lot of time to teach one to talk. Almondine budgie turned my life around with his soft feathery feistiness.

It’s like when I had an eye operation and could not see for months but in my mind’s eye I wrote my life story. The next year I self-published a beautiful limited edition cloth bound coffee table book and it sold out within weeks.

Can I make the leap, away from Tofty Towers?

The Story of Tofty Towers

Many years ago I lived in a fabulous one bedroom flat just around the corner and often chose to walk to work down this road because of its uplifting views towards to sea. And then one day, there it was: a tall white house I’d never noticed before with a “For Sale” sign on it. And I did what you’re never supposed to do — I knocked on the door!

A tall quiet gentleman named Paul answered the door. And then there was Jane equally tall and quiet. They really suited their home. I said, “I’m Sam. I don’t think I have the money, but I’ve fallen in love with your house. Can I look inside?”

By pure magic — and with the help of a very clever financial advisor — I managed to get three separate mortgages. The owners Jane and Paul even turned down a higher offer from London because they knew I had to have it. Move in, I thought, then worry about the money after. I rented out the basement and lived without a kitchen for 3 years. I still had dinner parties with a small sink in the back room and a Baby Belling on an ironing board. We sat on floor cushions with our plates on our laps. And then dear Mr Mustard took the world by storm and 25 years later he has paid off those mortgages and bought me Tofty Towers. With fakers and forgers and AI stealing my work I wouldn’t be able to do it today (see bottom of this email for shocking new details) but it was the perfect time. I was incredibly lucky.

Whoever gets to live here will feel the house welcome them like an old friend as soon as they cross the threshold. Now, I believe, is the right time to pass the torch. I need to act quickly and gently as those wise birds told me, in order secure our next property. So I’m reaching out for help.

For the next eight weeks, my beautiful home will be on the market with Chatt Estates for £1m (the twin house next door recently went for nearly £1.2 million!). If it doesn’t go quickly my butterfly dream will fly away. But if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I won’t push the river, but I’ll give it a damn good splashing!

How you can help: Please spread the word!

Do you know someone looking for a magical artist’s house in Brighton, a second home, or an investment property? We are looking for buyers prepared to move quickly at this price.

If all goes well with the sale, I’ll be hosting a wonderful pre-Christmas studio sale in Brighton (late November/early December) and you will all be invited!! It’ll be like one of those genuinely exciting old fashioned closing down sales with very special pieces, curios, one offs and incredible bargains. I’ll make stacks of my favourite frangipani mince pies as a big thank you for spreading the word!

But before we get there, it will be a busy year:

• 20th September: A special drawing event at the Braithwaite Gallery in York, raising money for Papyrus (youth suicide prevention) in memory of dear Jake. 
• 11th –20th November: My upcoming show at Panter & Hall in Pall Mall, London. Contact them for details at enquiries@panterandhall.com   Tel:  +44 (0)20 7399 9999
• Late November/early December: the fabulous fantasy Brown Dog Studio sale

This is a joyful whirlwind, and a slightly terrifying one… Help me out and spread some goodness out there!

Extra sprinkles for everyone, and big love,

Sam x

Hope you’re managing in this heat! I must admit, I’m wilting a bit…

I carry a water spray, a little fan, and a posh skin tonic everywhere I go. My dog LOVES her early morning hose down and I’m enjoying the juicy ripe blackberries (in July??!) I’m so grateful that my studio is cool, dark, and quiet. New work is coming through nicely, next year’s calendar is already done, The BIG PICTURE is trundling along (November release), and preparations for my London show are going really well. 

But I’m not a fan of this heat, are you? Every day is like walking into sauna. I’m so busy and it’s almost too hot to concentrate. And still the thieves continue at TEMU, ART IS BETTER, SHEIN and ALIEXPRESS.

When everything starts to get on top of me and I’m already too busy to think, I have a few strategies to get me through. The first thing I do is take on another ‘busy’ thing, and the second is doing something nice (and preferably time-consuming) for someone else. Both strategies help take my mind off the original thing, although with rather predictable consequences… I’d honestly be an exhausted mush if it weren’t for my 3rd strategy… I’ll share more about that one later if you like? But for now, to help get me over the hump of ‘too busy to do anything right,’ I’m bundling all my strategies together, and doing something that I love, which is also generous, but I really don’t have the space for. This offer is necessarily time limited. Just one weekend. This one. 

Special Pet Drawing Offer

Have you ever wanted a special drawing of your pet? Commissions usually start at £650, which is out of reach for most—and only then if I have time to do them. But for 48 hours, I’m offering a personalized drawing of your pet on the title line of a limited edition print, priced only as a Special Remarque. In other words, you get a personalised pet drawing for the price of a regular drawing.  And if you’re among the first to order, we’ll include one of FIVE tiny original drawings I have in my stock.

This special offer is open to everyone, but Club Members can use their discount codes to save upwards of £50 per print with their 20% sign up discount! Join here.

To take part:

1. Choose a print from the full range at https://www.cd-fineart.co.uk/sam-toft.
2. Email Louise at mustardshop@aol.com with the name of the print(s) you’ve chosen, a photo of your pet, and your pet’s name or any special message you’d like included.
3. Louise will raise an invoice for the print plus a £200 Special Remarque charge.
4. Your print will journey from Hampshire to Brighton to Cornwall, then to you! Order by midday Sunday 2nd August to receive your exclusive package within 2-3 weeks.

A Gift for Club Members

If this offer is not within your budget, please accept a free calendar with every limited edition purchase at www.samtoft.co.uk between 1st and 14th August, or with each new/early sign-up for 2027 at www.littlemustardclub.com while stocks last.

Strategy 3

Strategy 3 is a simple one.

No matter how busy I make myself there’s a list of helpful things I love doing and I try to do them all at least once a week. I believe everyone can find five minutes every day for a ‘number 3’

Some of my favourite helpful, healing things are:

• Walking in the woods
• Being goofy with my dog
• Dancing in the kitchen and pretending I’m a superstar
• 10-minute meditations
• Deadheading flowers
• Slow cooking
• Early nights
• Asking for help
• Time alone
• Picking burrs out of my dog’s fur
• Watching clouds
• Acknowledging that I tried my best
• And drawing—I absolutely love drawing!

But here’s a new one I’d like to share—I’ve been cultivating a relationship with two crows in Stanmer Park. It’s taken months but just a few minutes a day. I started by singing “Hallo Hallo!” to empty treetops, then leaving a treat in a special place. And now they sometimes follow me without my even calling. And sometimes they don’t come at all of course. One day when I lost my way, I followed their cawing and they were waiting. At Crow Log. So cute and so moving. I’ve a feeling the dear hearts might be leaving gifts too. A smooth round pebble, a fiery red leaf, a shiny, empty snail shell – all found in the particular hollow where I leave their food and water. 

The more time I spend with them, the better I feel. Even when I wake feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, my early morning time at The Log heals me. It feels magical. May I crown myself The Crow Lady? 

And may I wish you all the best with your own ‘number 3s’ – I’m hoping you’ll share some with us for inspiration. We can learn from each other. 

But for now, I’ll get on with a bit of gardening in the cool of the evening. Thank you so much for listening to my stories and offerings. It means the world,

Big love,

Sam x

Links and details

• Join our Club 
• Visit me at Braithwaite Gallery 20th September
• See my exhibition in London 11-20th November at Panter and Hall.  Contact Panter and Hall for information.
• Take advantage of our pet drawing offer with a chance to win an original drawing — closing midday Sunday 2nd August
  • Choose a print from the full range at CD Fine Art.
  • Email Louise at mustardshop@aol.com with the name of the print(s) you’ve chosen, a photo of your pet, and your pet’s name or any special message you’d like included.
  • Louise will raise an invoice for the print plus a £200 Special Remarque charge.
  • Your print will journey from Hampshire to Brighton to Cornwall, then to you! Order by midday Sunday 2nd August to receive your exclusive package within 2-3 week

There are no pigeons this year. 

I think I have blackbirds nesting in the hydrangea and sparrows in the ivy, but absolutely no pigeons. 

Some of you may remember me leaving my spare room window open when I went to visit my folks in Cornwall last year. Upon my return I found a makeshift nest in the corner behind the coat stand. It looked like it had been put together from my houseplants and a fair amount of additional homemade sticky matter. Two big bald babies blinked at me from the untidy pile and two proud but anxious parents flustered about on the windowsill. It was surprising, shocking, and quite exciting actually … a bit like when I found a baby fox under my sofa.  And quite a talking point when I had people round: Come upstairs and visit my indoor aviary!

They took ages to fledge. I left fresh seed on the sill each day for the parents, and they came and went through a small gap I left in the window. Pretty soon the pigeonlets had built a little avenue of detritus along one wall and a second nest in the other corner under a sizeable weeping fig. A real home from home. They learnt to fly by jumping from successively higher shelves of a well-stocked bookcase, and my carpets became their safe soft landings. I’ll need to do a big tidy up of course, but instead, once my birds had flown, I just closed the door (and windows!) and left it all. What I’m thinking is, it can be an expensive job for another time and I’ll not worry my head over it. One day I’ll likely do a makeover on the lovely little room at the top of Toftie Towers. Meantime my handsome pigeons will sit tapping on my bathroom window, no doubt hoping to be let in for a rematch. Very cute. 

Isn’t it funny how some jobs (new carpets, painting ceilings, cleaning books) can wait, whilst others (updating the flower boxes, trying out new recipes, painting pictures) absolutely cannot? Our lives grow shorter by the day and I’m so grateful to have the energy for long walks in dappled woods. The things I really don’t fancy doing can wait, is what I mean. Where’s the harm in that?

I’ve found my Mojo once again (what an excellent name for a wayward dog, methinks) and once more I’m back to my splishy sploshy paintings at the studio. For all of my Online Specials I’m giving a little flavour of what I’ve been up to: a mini show at the end of May. Pop over for a browse here at SamToftOriginals in a few weeks where the new work will appear as if by magic 29th May. And if you wanted to buy but happen to miss out on these eight lovely new paintings, I have a big London show at Panter and Hall, Pall Mall mid-November, and they send worldwide, so that’s a bonus.

It’s my first London show in three years and I’m really enjoying making the work. There’ll be a set of original drawings from my Big Picture project and lots of new paintings large and small. I’m hoping some of the ideas nestling scruffily in my sketchbooks will take flight at last like my fat little pigeons.

For the Panter and Hall show please join their mailing list at the bottom of their page here, mention my name and they’ll keep you up to date with private views, pre-sales and such like. 

By contrast, for my own small online shows at SamToftOriginals we operate a separate priority list, comprising previous Sam Toft Originals buyers and Club members, who get access 24 hours before. Details of 2026 membership here.

For small gifts we have a separate website Mustard General Store at mustardgeneralstore.co.uk There’s lots to see but our gorgeous luxury cushions will be discontinued very soon. The current supplier is going out of business- a last-minute thing with no notice – so the final date for ordering those is 15th May. It’s a UK only service but my sister who runs the shop at samtoft.co.uk may be getting together some hampers for our US customers, watch that space!!

Thank you for reading.  I know I don’t write often but I think of you a lot and appreciate you being there.

Big love,

Sam Toft

X

Dear friends,

I hope you’ve been well?

I heard that one of the days last week was hailed as the bluest of the year. I think they meant sad, not rude or azure. Wouldn’t it be great if we truly knew that the worst was over? I really like that idea.

All’s well here in Brighton. The sea is wild, the wind fantastic and the rain is bountiful.  Life is full of greens and browns. In my local park the early bulbs are getting trampled almost before they’ve started growing. Hiding there in the mud where multitudes of dogs run free and squirrels forage, those precious shoots get nibbled or squished. But in a few weeks’ time I know I’ll see a confetti of purple and yellow beneath the trees. Tissue-soft snowdrops will nod their dear little heads in gentle breezes against all odds, and soon the scent of wild garlic will fill the air.

And it’s time for us all to bloom again, following the seasons. I know so many people yearn for the light long days of summer but I don’t yet feel ready to let go of the cold and dark. I love my hats and scarves. Getting cosy with candles and a fire. Enjoying the early nights. I always get a bit grumpy when the days get longer. I don’t like change. 

But in the land of Mustard there are some big changes coming (and if I can find the money and energy I

I’ll be back with news of a small originals show and studio sale. But for now, I’m deciding on new directions. Sometimes life leaves us a bit trampled upon. Some things are lost forever. Some things change and grow. Sending big loves to you, wherever you are,

Sam Toft

X

Today I’ve been making an Advent Calendar of all things. Gluing two pieces of card together and cutting small doors to see tiny drawings beneath. For no good reason other than I thought it would be fun, and I’ve wanted to do one for ages. If it’s any good I might just publish it!!

I’ve been setting myself new challenges and getting absorbed in them as a way of calming myself. Times move so fast I often don’t want to reach out and seize the day. It’s hard sometimes, isn’t it? There is so much happening out there and most of those things we can’t control. So instead, I’ve been looking after the baby pigeons who came to stay in the top bedroom. I’m making a grand gesture and slowly weeding the whole street. I’m learning to run. And I’m making time to do 24 tiny drawings for behind little cardboard doors. But still I worry. Are you a bit like that? 

I decided to send a quick note to share two of the things I’m getting asked about. Both of which are beyond my control.

There’s an American import tariff coming soon so our online shop will be out of reach for many of our customers… 

There will be no widely published 2026 calendar by Art Group…

What can I do? 

I could encourage those people living in the US to look up our new exclusive offerings at MustardShop before the tariffs hit, 29th August.

I could publish my own calendars, spend a bit of my own time and money on it?

I’ll write a proper letter soon, but I just wanted your opinions on these things… Would you be interested to buy a 2026 calendar for say £20 if I made one? And how’s this tariff going to affect you?

Meanwhile I’ll keep busy preparing for a small online show in late October here at Sam Toft Originals. And I’ve another new project drawing hundreds of your pets on one piece of paper. Let’s see how that goes at Little Mustard Club

Don’t buy from Temu by the way. 

They have stolen my pictures and lots of other people’s as well. And my publishing contract with Art Group will not be renewed this time. 

Sending lots of love across the pond and sky. Wishing you strength and hope and a bit of fun along the way… 

Speak soon!

Big love, 

Sam x

A funny thing happened to me the other day.

I’ve been at home, away from the studio for quite a while, and everything needs a bit of a spruce up. It makes me feel so much better when my workspace is shipshape and that includes the flowerpots outside. So I bought purple pansies for my hanging baskets, pink pelargoniums for my troughs, orange osteospermums for the pots with lime-green succulents and electric blue lobelia. If ever a girl needed a lift of colour right now, it’s me.

So here I am in my gardening gear on my hands and knees with everything everywhere as you can imagine. A huge bag of compost, a giant (very helpful) puppy and a tablespoon, as I always forget to take my trowel down there. Then one of my neighbours passes by. 

“Looking beautiful Sam,” he says, and with that exuberant-theatrical air kiss and hand gesture I usually reserve for when I meet a particularly good pizza. I smile back weakly while Birdy pup demolishes another plastic plant pot and knocks over the watering can. We go inside for a time out and while she is chewing away contentedly on the biggest bone in the world, I wash my hands and look at my hot sweaty face in the bathroom mirror. Beautiful, huh? Well he was probably just being nice, wasn’t he? But I splash my face and check it carefully. It’s cool and dark in my studio and I think I can definitely see an attractive little twinkle in at least one of my eyes. I look for that nice pot of fragrant moisturiser and some emergency lipstick. I put them on, dislodge a piece of wet compost from behind my ear and smile at my reflection. Beautiful? Me? 

Well as we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and sometimes you just have to accept things at face value. I look over at my sleepy puppy and can’t resist a snuggle because she is so lovely when she is tired. Although I have a lot to do, I take the time for a little snooze on her extra-large dog bed. Then, feeling loved up and with a fresh cuppa I head out into the wall of sunshine to start again. Feeling quite a lot more perky, actually. Maybe this tired face and baggy body still has a little something going on!

So when my neighbour passes again at the end of the day while I’m sweeping up, I give him a proper smile this time and thank him for his compliment earlier. It really made I difference I say. Which it did. Strangely I feel like I have the energy to do a bit more drawing. And I’m being kinder to myself too, proud of my window boxes and how nice they look. A few new picture ideas come flooding in too.

“Aw yeah Sam, like I say, them plants is looking beautiful,” he says.

And when I reflect on what happened at the end of the day, what I notice is that when he said Beautiful I really thought he was talking about me. And that takes some hutzpah when you’re face down in the mud. I must be feeling better than I thought I was. And I’ll pour it into my pictures, that precious spark of joy.

Because Art is important. It’s a beautiful thing. I love that human beings make it and I love that other human beings support it. 

Sometimes I feel like a gardener who creates beautiful spaces for everyone to enjoy. But at the moment it seems whenever I turn my back the weeds take over. And that can be overwhelming. 

We live in a world that is unable to stop what can only be called bootlegging thieves (TEMU, SHEIN, ALIEXPRESS and others) stealing artists’ work and selling it for their own profit. It has got to a point where in the last three years my income has been reduced to a quarter. But then why would someone buy the genuine article when they can get a cheap stolen knock-off copy from the far east for a couple of pounds at the click of the mouse? TEMU are currently offering my work for £00 if you sign up now and that’s hard to resist 

And of course it is not just me who is affected – this is happening in different ways to hundreds of artists, writers, musicians. The creative people are increasingly being left out in the cold while the fat cats warm their toes. 

Rather than waving our fists angrily into the abyss, it’s important we realize how much power we have as consumers to change things. 

You have choices. You could send your hard-earned cash to a faceless guy in China who’s just stolen my ideas and get lots of shoddily produced tinny replicas for your walls and an empty feeling in your stomach. But if you’d like to live in a world where there’s still a few corner shops, sometimes you have to pay a bit more for your pint of milk.

So, with that in mind, do you want to be part of the bigger picture? 

I’ll be starting work on May 12th 2025 and I won’t stop until it’s done. This is the second biggest creative project of my life. Read on.

Why is this project so important?

This is my stand against TEMU and the rest of the far east bootlegging rascals who have been wrecking the lives of creative individuals with their unlawful thefts. My confidence has been knocked but I’m too tired to be angry anymore. So I’m deciding to fight them off with my trusty pencil, a magnificent new project and a huge show of kindness. 

Will you help me spread the word? 

Do you have a friend with a pet who may like to get involved? Or maybe it’s YOU?!

I have an idea to draw all your pets on one piece of paper. Hundreds and hundreds of tiny drawings made with love. It will be my new obsession. Inspired by YOU. Sounds crazy but wouldn’t it be amazing? A Love Letter to Animal Lovers all over the World. My homespun remedy to help restore faith in Art as a universal healing language. Pet lovers of the world unite! 

But how could I possibly draw all of the hundreds and thousands of pets from our mailing list and followers on social media? It will work because I’m asking you for something in return. I’m asking you to join our Club, and that’s not for everyone I know. But I’m hoping against hope that some of you will join and help make a difference.

Club membership is £22 for 2025. 

It’s the lowest price we can manage. 

Research all the perks here … your membership fee also helps to run a free community gallery space in my hometown of Brighton @dogandbonegallery on Instagram.

I’ll even leave a small space on each print in case the love of your life is not a pet but a kiln. Or a spoon. Or a big fat cake. I can add them by hand on the deluxe version. No one gets out of here alive!! 

How long will it take?

I’ll start with one day a week aiming for around 30 finished drawings a day, 120 a month. For each pet I’ll need to do multiple sketches to get the feel right before adding them to the Big Picture at about half inch high. It will be a true labour of love. I may add an extra day a week, aim for 250 a month even?!?

When will it be finished?

Hopefully by the end of the year, when prints will be available at a range of different price points… large and embellished, small and signed. But please don’t think you have to buy a print. It’s the being involved that really matters to me.

How do I join in?

Sign up to our club here and send in your photo!

One photo, one pet (and please include their name size and species and your membership number) to Amber at littlemustardclub@gmail.com The title of your email should be THE BIG PICTURE, so it’s easy to spot the entries and get you ALL in… You may even make it into one of my paintings!

But drawing hundreds of pets is not going to keep my own pup in the style to which she has grown accustomed. So I’m working towards small originals show. I hope you’ll like the new work! 

—–

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
 

THE WANDERER RETURNS Friday 6th June. 

After 5 months away from the studio, the originals are BACK with a small online show opening 6pm on 6th June here at www.samtoftoriginals.co.uk 

There will be an online private view with prior access from Thursday 5th June. Our priority list includes all previous buyers from SamToftOriginals and members of Little Mustard Club. Look out for your secret passcode in an email sent to you the day before.

And then as I’m going away on a painting holiday, they will be available for collecting from my lovely studio in Brighton (or packaging and sending) from Monday 16th June. I’m trying (and failing) to learn to paint with a brush. I usually use my fingers and thought it would be lovely to acquire a new skill.

VINTAGE PRINT LAUNCH Friday 9th May

I’m particularly excited to announce the first THREE of our exclusive vintage releases. You’ll find them in the Very Small Editions section at www.samtoft.co.uk My sister and I have been trawling through the archive to choose our personal favourites. There’ll be two or three prints released every couple of months in editions of just 7 or 8, so there’s something fresh each time you visit our online shop. Highly collectible and exclusive to MustardShop Online, you can use your Club discount codes. These first three were inspired by Loss, Boston and a Very Special Wall. Let me know what you think of our choices! 

PERFECTLY FORMED 7th-14th May 

I have donated two original pieces for an online auction to support the charity TREATMENT BAG who create bags of luxury gifts for cancer patients. We are raising money for the bags they donate monthly to 7 NHS hospitals. These thoughtful gifts are specially chosen as antidotes to the side effects chemotherapy. I received one of their bags when I was ill myself. It was just perfect and really lifted my spirits. Pictures this size have sold in galleries for up to £1650. I hope you bag yourself a bargain!  Find them here – https://www.galabid.com/perfectly-formed

—–

CLUB MEMBERS ONLY
(details in your June Club newsletter)

FOREVER LOVED: To celebrate my birthday month each year we do something special. Our June collection of teeny tiny original pictures at Club room www.samtoft.co.uk will be on the theme of Forever Loved. Just £20 each, strictly Club Members Only, one purchase per household for this unmissable offer

THE BIG PICTURE: Every Club Member can have one pet included

RAINBOW BRIDGE prints available soon. Use your Club discount, and all preorders get a free personalized remarque of their pet (launch date and details of around 30 pets included in your Club newsletter)

—–

A HUGE big thank you if you stayed with me to the end of the page. After months of silence it seems I had a lot to say!

Big love to you from the quiet comfort of my studio sanctuary in Brighton. I hope you have a special place you can retreat to when you need it. Whether it’s a special bench in the park or at home with your head under the covers, I’d love to hear your news. And thank you again for your support,

Sam X

If our range of bespoke prints and originals are beyond your budget, you can find the full range of samtoft items to suit all pockets at Braithwaite gallery in York where they do excellent mail order at www.yorkartist.com

Let me know of your own legitimate supplier and I’ll give them a shout out x

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 

Hallo friends!

As has become customary I have a little story to tell you, but please scroll if it gets a bit silly. I’ll be in touch again in a week or so with details of the competition, giveaways and prizes.

Once, many years ago, I was very interested in making a marionette and was lucky enough to attend a course with the BRILLIANT John Roberts. I took inspiration from a young storyteller I’d seen taking part in a show a few months before. Tall and delightfully gangly with a shock of bright ginger hair and small glasses, he looked rather like a teenage Mr Mustard.

So I drew his slim white figure from my mind’s eye, and carved out his calves and thighs, feet, hips, arms and head with a wickedly sharp Chinese chisel. It was a miraculous tool. So smooth and easy to use. It cut through the wood like butter. Carving his face was like preparing Brussels Sprouts at Christmas. It was just THAT easy. It sent shivers down my spine every second it was in my hand. One moment’s daydream and there would be a spare finger on the floor I felt sure of it.

The very thought gave me nightmares. I was determined to get over myself but the chisel, once wrapped carefully in many sheets of oiled rags, remained unvisited. And the half-finished puppet rests to this day in an old tin box on a shelf at my studio. Complete with all his accoutrements and my extravagant plans. The marionette was to be the star of his own show. The show was to be called Simon Smith and He’s Dancing Bare.

A while later I found myself again at the very excellent Jane Bombane’s in Kemptown at another event, and I ran into the young storyteller once more. Without thinking (and that was my mistake) I approached him, excited to meet him properly. He was a storyteller and I had a unique story personal to him. He would love it. What could possibly go wrong?

It soon became obvious he did not recall ever having seen me before. But I continued regardless.  For I am the Queen, nay the Tsarina, of the awkward situation.

I will leave you to guess the details of the conversation we had. Less a conversation more of a stuttering monologue, as I dug myself deeper and deeper into a slippery hole with every phrase I uttered. Seeing the surprise, embarrassment then growing horror on this stranger’s face did nothing to slow me down as I bulldozed my way into the foundations of indecency.

And why do I find myself telling you this story when I can hardly bear to think of it myself without cringing massively? It’s because of the COVID.

We’ve all had such a terrible scare. It’s made me value my life in all its detail all the more. And to realize that THESE are the days. They are not times to be scared of, embarrassed about, secretive with. This is the very stuff of life and it is to be celebrated, treasured and laughed about.

And I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. In a way I was only sharing ideas with my muse. And perhaps there was no skillful way explain to a total stranger how he’d inspired me to carve him naked out of wood with nothing to cover his modesty but the smallest smattering of an old fluorescent-orange feather boa.

Possibly I can never visit Bombane’s again. Probably I gave a shy young man the fright of his life. Definitely I felt ridiculous, foolish and awkward. Thankfully it was a dark basement, no one else heard me, and I have never seen him again. And no one else knows, except for you.

But THESE are the days… No matter how gut wrenchingly embarrassing, difficult or outofyourcomfortzone something may feel, may I urge you to go ahead and do it? Perhaps not something as ridiculous as I did, but don’t we all need to seize the day?

I will leave you for now with a simple soup recipe and an entreaty to tell no-one about the contents of this email, which may well self destruct in three minutes,

3….2….1….

Sam Toft x

Recipe Time

Slowly fry a whole head of chopped celery and an onion in olive oil then add 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Next a few cubed root vegetables (a couple carrots, a potato, and half a turnip ?) and simmer with a stock cube, lots of water.

A few chilli flakes and a generous shake of white pepper

A handful of small pasta when the veg is tender and a bunch each of fresh parsley and basil chopped

Salt to taste

It’s simple and yummy

A Portuguese man in his takeaway café told me it was his mother’s recipe. Tastes of home.

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 

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