Thomas "Samba" Dashield's artistic talent was discovered early when his mother, Doris Dashield noticed his ability to reproduce images from children's books. At age 7, his mother enrolled him in painting classes where his talents blossomed. Oil paints and pastel drawing were Samba's early choices for creative expression. During the early years Samba excelled in scholastic art competitions and was featured in the Burlington County Times news paper as a "Future Bright". Samba attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia and specialized in graphic design with the focus on illustration.

After decades of working in graphic design and the printing industry Samba decided to rediscover painting. After being reintroduced to the paint brush Samba quickly picked up where he left off as a child decades earlier. Brilliant colors in his work is one of Samba's interests when conceiving a new composition. Samba is heavily influenced by African art which was fueled by a trip to Western Africa where he received the name "Samba"

Samba discovered the world of doll making in 1994 when he visited the Annual African American Doll Show in Philadelphia. His work with artist dolls has been a journey to develop a unique way to create realistic look and feel doll bodies. His doll sculptures are continually evolving during his quest for the ultimate doll figure.