Sam Toft: Miniature Collection

Sam has created an amazing collection featuring her now infamous characters, "The Mustards", Ernest Hemingway Mustard and his dear lady wife Violet along with their much loved eccentric friends and pets. This page showcases Sam's mounted open edition miniatures.

Ernest lives in a not-so-damp flat on the Brighton/ Hove border with Violet, his dear lady wife, and Doris their grumpy and rather portly Jack Russell Terrier. 

His work as a part time Hurricane Predictor and Professional Tuneless Hummer has made him lots of friends along the Prom: the beautiful Audrey - could she be Ms Hepburn reborn as a sheep?-  Horace Duck, and the lovely Rover, a melancholy goldfish with tunnel vision and a good heart. 

Using mixed media, pencil, oil pastels, coloured inks and her own idiomatic techniques, Sam depicts a seaside world of faded ice-cream colours where the breeze is always blowing and life is utterly delicious. 

The Braithwaite Gallery has been lucky enough to work with Sam for a very long time; sometimes she comes to York for exhibitions, sometimes just to say hello. She has been generous with her time and talent, particularly in helping us with charity fundraising. In 2020 she created 'Looking After Eachother (a picture for Jake)’ in memory of Jake Braithwaite, which helped the Gallery raise £4000 for mental health charity Mind.

In Winter 2022, we have another charity fundraiser, helped by Sam. She has sent us 'Time To Make Memories' - four uniquely remarqued limited editions from an exclusive set, to help us raise funds for charity PAPYRUS - a charity focused on prevention of suicide in the young. We are raffling edition number one, and selling the other three to raise funds for this excellent cause.