Sally Kindberg and Snowy

Posted on January 20, 2026 by SallyK

Years ago I worked part-time at a Camden bookshop, before having my first series of children’s books published.  My Saturday task was to cash up the takings, put them into a leather satchel and post it into the night safe on the wall of the next door bank.  Another member of staff was supposed to come with me and watch my back as I deposited the satchel, but didn’t that night for some reason.  Camden can be a lively location.  Suddenly I felt what seemed like a gun stuck in my back. ‘Hand over the money!’ said a gruff voice behind me.  I was tired after a long day dealing with occasionally awkward customers, so I whirled round and swore (rather inventively I believe) at the would-be robber.  ‘Hey!’ he said, backing away, ‘Only a joke!’ and ran off. I was furious but shaken. This slightly battered cardboard cut-out of Snowy (and one of Tintin too), once in the bookshop window, was given to me when I left working there.  Sometimes it reminds me of that scary night, and what might have happened if the robber really did have a weapon. Snowy lives in my work/bed room, a positive if only cardboard companion from the pages of the marvellous Tintin books.Page from one of my many notebooks recording an excellent Snowy lookalike competition once held at Somerset House.  I can’t actually remember who won, but maybe not the human entry?  Who knows.  Please let me know if you or your dog entered!  Woofy!

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Pantomime time … oh yes it is!

Posted on December 14, 2025 by SallyK

This week I was invited to an extraordinary pantomime performed by the Fitzrovia Community at the Soho Poly directed and written by multi-talented Lucia Jaffer, who’d formerly asked me to run workshops at recent Fitzrovia Fetes.

‘A Curious Dream’, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland involved members of the Fitzrovia community including eighty year old John Hibbs, (‘I’ve always wanted to be a pantomime dame’), costume designer extraordinaire who’d made outfits for the stars, including Diana Dors.  The cast list also included a local Labour counsellor playing the Mad Hatter.

My only contribution to the event, apart from being an enthusiastic audience member, was carrying two giant toadstools from the theatre back to the Community Centre, where there was a splendid tea party.

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‘Workshops/explorations’ article in the sixth Swedenborg Review

Posted on December 13, 2025 by SallyK

Congratulations to Swedenborg House on the publication of the sixth Swedenborg Review. Delighted that it features my ‘Workshops/explorations’ article, referencing some of the SK workshops held there. More to come!

More about these and other workshops in different venues here.

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Sally Kindberg’s pinboard stories

Posted on December 11, 2025 by SallyK

One of my slowly evolving pinboards whose objects all have a story to tell.  Objects include …

Various badges and votives, including my original I-Spy Today added a Farage comment badge

A plastic doll’s arm found on a walk on a remote track in the Alpujaras.

My City of London Guide badge.  Although qualifying in 2006 I haven’t yet practiced as a guide, but have written and illustrated a book about London, and written features for Cityguide Magazine.

Earring belonging to my late husband

Piece of a saint’s Elastoplast

Tall Ships medal from my 1998 voyage from Falmouth to Lisbon (commissioned by the Independent newspaper)

A packet of Mock Tudor designed by Marcus Oakley

An engagement ring presented to me by a crime writer who’d just bought it from an Argos outside of which he proposed. I declined his offer btw.

Some legal red tape

Various hand images including one from my Handbook of Hopes and Dreams

A snippet of Elvis Presley’s hair (honest, guv) in a badge sold to me on the South Bank of the Thames

Making pinboard assemblages is great fun. See some  commissions in the past. 

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Sally Kindberg and workshops, some involving a Hat of Surprise

Posted on November 24, 2025 by SallyK

It’s not as if I usually wear my Hat of Surprise, but this hat is sometimes an important part of one of my many comic strip workshops, including those at schools, the Institute of Physics, the Guardian, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Swedenborg House, Isle of Lewis, British Science Festival, Beijing Bookworm Festival, Shetland Wordplay, Fitzrovia Fete, Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Canterbury University of the Arts, at London Zoo and many other venues.

The workshops encourage participants – from ages three to eighty so far – to make a visual narrative, or simplify complicated information in a clear and engaging way, with an emphasis on humour and/or surprise. The Hat of Surprise contains helpful written or visual prompts for each person to pick at random, for them to turn into their very own visual sequential narrative aka comic strip.

Why this style of hat? It has associations with magicians, a hat that conceals, then transforms or reveals. My events enable participants to increase their creative powers, develop personal confidence and even have fun.  Check out my website and blog for info about some of the thirty or so of my published children’s books, and much more.

Contact me for more information if you’d like me to run an exciting workshop for you in 2026.   Here’s one of the  favourite books I illustrated.  More adventures to come, although possibly not in space …

See my article about ‘Workshops/explorations’ in the latest edition of the Swedenborg Review, Winter 2025.

 

 

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Little Tich’s boots, coincidences and connections

Posted on October 5, 2025 by SallyK

One day earlier this year I got into conversation with a neighbour down the road busily working on a rather cool looking electric blue MG Midget. ‘Oh it’s you who makes all that racket revving and driving up and down the street!’ I said. It turned out my neighbour, when not lovingly restoring a Vespa or a classic car or two, is a DJ and musician. ‘Hop in!’ he said. I had a short but exciting circuit of the local area, despite an alarming knock-knocking coming from underneath the Midget’s chassis. ‘Hm,’ said my musical neighbour thoughtfully after parking his car, and took out a variety of tools to start more tinkering. I asked him about his work.  He told me he’d once organised a variety act at London’s Hippodrome, including a tribute to music hall star Little Tich.

‘Little Tich!’ I exclaimed and told him how years before, I’d been at one of the National Portrait Gallery’s free concerts, with performances by the Kreutzer Quartet.  I always have a notebook in my pocket and began to take notes.

The Quartet played a piece by Stravinsky, with an intriguing somersault of notes apparently in homage to Little Tich.  Stravinsky was a fan of music hall, and had seen Little Tich in London. ‘Wait here, ‘ said my neighbour.  He went to his flat, rummaged around and produced a battered leather case.  Inside was a pair of extraordinary boots.  ‘We commissioned someone to copy the originals,’ he explained, ‘and a clown performed the trademark Big Boot Dance.‘  Wish I’d been there.

There’s another connection to Little Tich.  In 2019 I was fortunate enough to visit the wondrous House of Automata in Scotland, and photographed some of the automata there.  On one of the studio tables lay part of a Little Tich automaton, being lovingly restored.

 

 

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Creaky clockwork collection at the Art Workers Guild 2025

Posted on September 28, 2025 by SallyK

What do strange scissors, miniature beds, creaky clockwork, novelty erasers, tools of the stuccatore and coffin photos all have in common?  They’re some of the thirty subjects of obscure enthusiasms who appeared, with their owners, one day recently in Bloomsbury at the Art Workers Guild Tabletop Museum event.

I wasn’t absolutely sure I’d make it as I was recovering from recent eye surgery, but with the help of a kind friend who drove me and my clockwork companions to the venue, paracetemol and a pair of sunglasses, all was well. What larks!

Robotina was there too, one of my earliest books (published by Faber), keeping a relatively low profile at the end of my table.  Keys to operate the clockwork creatures (some of whose metal innards were reluctant to stir) were strung round my neck, there was a certain amount of creaking and a whirring.  I couldn’t resist encouraging one or two visitors to draw their favourites.

Film director Mike Leigh called in at the event, and kindly contributed a drawing.  I’d met him many years ago at a party when I was visiting lecturer at Camberwell Art College.  He told me he’d spent a very happy time there doing a Foundation course, and we briefly discussed the importance of art colleges.

The clockwork creatures usually live on a shelf above my work desk, their creaky mechanisms occasionally and disconcertingly activated at night by the vibrations of passing trains.

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Eyes

Posted on September 28, 2025 by SallyK

This summer has been a time of SK eye adjustments. Frustrating as initial eye surgery took longer than expected to heal.  Addition surgery tbc.  But hopefully the end result will be improved eye power, although currently time looking at a screen is limited.  The curved plastic shield had to be taped to my head every night for the first two weeks post surgery to protect my eye.  My eyes were affected by measles when I was a tiny child. Although I was obviously very short sighted afterwards, and rather accident prone, my mother didn’t think a girl wearing glasses was a good idea, and tried various cures such as Holy Water and prayer.  Neither worked.  Luckily a schoolteacher had a word with my mother, and I started wearing NHS glasses. Bliss! No more falling out of trees etc.

Currently my projects are delayed, but I have more thinking time.  Last week managed to take some of my clockwork companions to another event at the Art Workers Guild annual Table Top event, with the aid of dark glasses.  In previous years I’ve displayed my Museum of Dust, Desperate Dan memorabilia and surprise packaging. Apart from the fun of displaying different ‘museums’, it’s always a joy to meet and chat to visitors, and of course to some of the other collectors.  More about this year’s event to follow.

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Fitzrovia Fete August 10th 2025

Posted on August 12, 2025 by SallyK

Great fun to be invited back to take part in the annual Fitzrovia Fete event organised by Lucia Jaffer and her Fitzrovia Community Centre team. 

My drawing prompts this year were ‘Draw a Family Tree and/or Draw your Best Friend’, resulting in fabulous drawings and stories from participants of all ages.

With thanks to Linus of Fitzrovia News for the last photo. All other photos my own. The Comic Strip History of Space is still appreciated btw.  And thanks to those discerning visitors who bought copies of The Handbook of Hopes and Dreams. As well as drawing events, there was music, dancing and a special sofa (did it have magical powers?)

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Demonstration August 9th 2025

Posted on August 11, 2025 by SallyK

Shame on the current government curtailing the right to protest, for whatever cause.  According to the Guardian, there were 532 arrests on August 9th.  The right to protest is protected by the European Convention of Human Rights. See also the UN on this

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