"This year has been a strange one but it has dropped neatly in with the rest. Just another pebble in the pond.
As always so many layers in the journey to create these simple paintings. And this year seems like the bumpiest ride ever. But of course it’s always bumpy. Something in me must be drawn to bumpy journeys.
I decided 2023 would be a year to try a few new things. Like meditation, throwing pots, flying a plane, painting on canvas, collaborating on projects. But it was all a bit more challenging than I’d imagined. I worried that I’d lost my way somehow. For months it seemed that I was ‘not very good’ at most everything. My oil painting efforts were excruciating and exciting in equal measure. And working with others is difficult as for decades I’ve worked alone at the studio. But Ami was so generous with her ideas and experience at the Pottery. And Graham was so gentle and funny as we decided on how best to approach the sags and wrinkles on my portrait bust … coming face to face with an older me. My little dances outside the comfort zone have felt brave and unsettling but have informed some subtle changes I think. And once more I’ve found safe harbour. With steady support from friends and family I am proud of what we’ve achieved here.
Remembering back to when I was 11 years old, and how I loved wearing my maroon blazer on the first day of ‘big school’. The motto on the pocket was ‘In my beginning Is my end.’ It has always stuck with me. Because in so many ways I’m the same girl I was back then. A little less wise maybe. Like I’ve done all the right things but not necessarily in the right order. But in my 60th year this is my largest show to date, and that sounds about right, doesn’t it? It’s like our 93 buses have arrived all at once.
It’s a long way to come for a small window of lightness. I hope you find something that shines for you."
Sam Toft
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