Sam Toft News

With its warmer weather, trees vibrant with leaves, and a bit of time off from theworking week, the summer season has proved to be a great time to practice a bit of self-care. If you’ve relished the opportunity to indulge in a little ‘me time’, why not continue your practice into the cooler months, when we often need it the most.So, what can we do to promote a little tranquillity in our lives, and can ‘art’ help to induce a sense of relaxation? There is certainly some testimony to suggest so.

As we make our way into the temperate month of June, let's take a look at 5 décor trends tipped to be big this summer. 1 - Limitless Luxe Pinterest summarise the Limitless Luxe trend as a way of introducing a little luxury into the “least-expected corners of your home”, so that every nook and cranny radiates luxe, and even the utility room or under-stairs study area are filled with opulence.

When browsing through the beautiful paintings and drawings featured in our online gallery, you may have noticed that some original artwork is described as created using 'mixed media', but what does this actually mean? Mixed media visual art is essentially the combining of two or more media or materials, and can take numerous forms, but can be broadly categorised into five types:

From ongoing pandemics to heart-breaking conflicts and rising heating costs, it has been yet another shaky start to everyone's year. But we're now nestled in the warmest month of spring, and hopefully many of us can look forward to brighter days to come. Joyfully, May kicks off with the feel-good observances of Global Love Day and World Laughter Day; both falling on the first day of the month.

We spend a lot of time carefully perusing paint swatches and flicking through fabric samples to find the colours that are 'just right' for our homes, even finding ourselves revisiting them and redecorating only a few years later.Not only do we make colour choices to reflect and help communicate the way in which we are currently feeling but we might also choose specific colours to influence how we aspire to feel.

In modern Britain the more often, and more commercially, referred to 'Mother's Day', is the fourth Sunday of lent and was traditionally known as Mothering Sunday. It has been observed by both Christian and Roman Catholic Churches since the Middle Ages and the UK is even believed to be the first country in the world to have dedicated a day for mothers.

You may have experienced the power of a piece of music, a film, a photograph or painting to make you feel something, from joy or despair to excitement, and even distaste. Indeed, it is frequently argued that the generation of an emotional reaction is fundamental, and even the reason for, creating art. Aesthetic responses to art have historically been considered basic stimulus responses, but more recent studies, in which celebrated art historian Alexander Nemerov has been involved, suggest that these emotional responses are actually more complex.

In recent months, after an arduous couple of years of museums sitting empty when the world was plunged into a communal lockdown, a number of high profile figurative art exhibitions have popped up in galleries and institutes around the globe. This has brought about a resurgence in the prominence offigurative art in popular culture...And the trend is set to continue in throughout 2022 in locations including London's Tate Modern, The Metropoloitan Museum of Art, Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria, and Florence's Museo Novecento.

There are some big things happening in the UK in 2022... The events calendars in Britain are starting to look a little more 'full' after a couple of years of non-events and cancellations. Not least is the “blockbuster” four day Bank Holiday weekend from 2nd - 5th June, in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. After, on 4th February this year she became the first British Monarch to celebrate 70 years of service.

Celebrated every February 14th, Valentine's Day originated from the Christian feast day of Saint Valentine, a Roman Empire clergyman who, on that date, was martyred and buried in a Christian cemetery on the Flaminian Way. Although he died in 260 AD, it wasn't until 496 AD that the Feast of Saint Valentine was observed, and even later still (around 1000 – 1250 AD) before it became associated with the tradition of 'courtly love'.

The new year brings with it new hope and opportunities...and Collier & Dobson are bringing you all NEW limited edition prints.  Today we are thrilled to be launching a tantilising new collection of art to brighten your day - and your walls!

The term 'Blue Monday' is coined as such because it is arguably considered to be the most 'depressing' day on the calendar, typically falling on the third Monday in January. The idea appears to have stemmed from a now defunct TV Travel Channel in the early 2000s, and their claim to have developed a formula to calculate the date, taking into account factors like average hours of daylight, days until the next pay day, average temperature, etc.

The big day is on its way. And whilst many people will be excited for the festivities to come, some may be feeling conflicted.  Some love the song, lights and festive hubbub. But others can struggle with social interaction and may experience anxiety at the mere thought of gatherings at this time of year.

The nights are getting longer, the days are getting colder and, although Autumn and Winter bring with them lots of beauty and reasons to feel joyful, many people can be left feeling a little gloomy and experiencing the 'Winter blues'...Art can provide a considerable form of therapy, whether creating your own, or taking a little time to admire the work of others. The Mental Health Foundation say that “arts can make a powerful contribution to our mental health...can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient...art engagement also alleviates anxiety, depression and stress.”

As we make our way through October, the glorious colours of Autumn start to transform the landscape and the spectacular scenery and changing colours of our local New Forest National Park is hard to top. The woodlands and hedgerows are abundant with colour, from deeply hued plump ripened berries and chestnuts, to the fiery glow of leaves as their green pigment breaks down, revealing the red and yellow tints below.