The Art Group Sam Toft Collection 2018

S a m To f t
Sam Toft lives in a tall thin house by the sea in Brighton. Every day she
catches a bus up to the Downs with her two lovely dogs, and they walk in
the wind, rain and sunshine conjuring up new ideas of what to paint that
day. Then Stan and little Betty lay snoring at the Studio while Sam starts
her long day’s work, painting and drawing an imaginary world of faithful
friends: Ernest Hemmingway Mustard, his dear lady wife Violet, and Doris
their grumpy, portly Jack Russell Terrier.
C a n v a s & Ar t P r i n t s
“I never get bored of tracing the adventures of my imaginary friends.
Although the main characters remain constant, I love creating new friends
and taking them to different places. They’ve visited the nostalgic shopfronts
of New York City, hunted the legendary Sea Pasty in Cornwall, walked the
Highland way in Scotland and cycled across Africa. But mostly they are to
be found strolling up and down the Prom in Brighton, and then stomping
through the woods, hills and meadows of the South Downs.”
Sam worked in the Civil Service after gaining a BA in Business Studies and
Applied Social Sciences from Kingston University. And then when other jobs
followed with growing regularity, they were endured with varying degrees
of enthusiasm. But her long leap of faith began when she gave up her office
life and London home for a BTEC in General Art and Design at City College
Liverpool.
“I never dreamt that I would one day make my living as an Artist. I’ve worked
hard all my life in Catering, Accounts, office jobs, waitressing and bar work.
Anything to make ends meet. But although I always loved drawing I never
thought of it as a ‘proper job’... It took a whole lot of perseverance, courage,
determination and practise. I absolutely love doing what I do. There is not a
day goes by that I am not grateful, incredulous almost. Life has certainly got
better as I’ve gotten older.”
Working with oil pastels and coloured inks on board, using pencil dust,
brushes, steel pen nibs and soft kitchen towels, Sam builds up layers
of colour on top of simple drawings. She creates depth and texture by
polishing some areas to a soft patina and scraping back other areas with
kitchen forks or scrubbing with old tooth brushes.
Driven by a desire to fill out her characters in all their forms, Sam writes
stories and sculpts in plasticine and clay. Mr Mustard and Doris can be found
cast in solid bronze, as wooden automata, jig dolls and precious handmade
puppets. The most recent project is a shop for her work in Brighton alongside
the smallest open exhibition space in the world housed in two beautifully
restored red phone boxes.
“The Little Mustard Shop and the Dog and Bone galleries are a dream come
true for me. I absolutely love doing what I do. I am incredibly grateful for the
opportunities life has shown me. As Pablo Picasso said, Inspiration comes,
but it has to find you working. “
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