"L'shengala"

is not a planet in the new Star Wars film.

Fayetteville

artist Tonia Floyd was searching for a title for the

upcoming doll show she is putting on in Atlanta, so she

asked her son for help. She wanted a word that did not

exist, and it had to be a superlative to

"wonderful." It should mean "creative

jubilee" and "artistic independence." Her

son came to her soon thereafter with the word:

l'shengala.

Floyd has

dedicated her life to the meaning of the magical word.

She has always felt that she was born to be an artist,

but that did not stop her from getting a degree from the

University of Georgia's School of Business. It may even

be her good business sense that has helped her launch her

biggest venture yet. The show is the largest of its kind

to come to the Southeast.

Floyd and

her husband, --, have presented her pieces all over the

East Coast, but they noticed there weren't any shows

coming south. They have gone as far west as Oklahoma and

as far north as New York City.

The focal

point of their show is individual artists and their

creations. Floyd's creations, T. Riffic Characters, will

be on hand, but she will not be able to teach a class

during the seminars before the exhibition.

"The

biggest challenge is the number of decisions to be

made," said Floyd. "With all that goes into

putting on a show of this size, there just wasn't time to

teach a class." Some exceptional artists will offer

instruction, though. Ellen Ricksfield, known for her

life-size dolls made with a form of soft sculpture, will

be there as well as Elinor Peace Bailey, known for her

wearable dolls.

Floyd made

some of her connections at the Aramat School of Art in

Gatlinburg, Tenn. She shared ideas with renowned artists,

revelling in their amazing amounts of imagination. She

created her first doll, "Eve," eight years ago

and now considers Eve part of her private collection.

Floyd estimates she has made well over 500 dolls so far.

Dolls

struck Floyd's fancy because of their three dimensional

aspect, as well as the colors and the diversity of each

doll. "No two dolls are alike and it is just a

wonderful mechanism to explore passion of the arts. For

every person, a doll can be made," she said.

On average

the time for Floyd to create a doll is around 30 hours,

but some of the more intense projects have taken close to

75 hours. Usually, though, she works on several dolls at

a time.

"I

enjoy the treasure hunt aspect of making dolls,"

Floyd said. "There is a period where I am searching

for the right button or the right piece of jewelry."

Fabrics are her medium of choice but she has worked with

polymer clays and making molds with pecan resin. The

colors, textures, and patterns of fabric have a fairly

strong hold on her, though.

She has

gained a fair amount of notice as well. Her work has been

displayed at Tiffany's in Phipps Plaza, the Gift Gallery

at Lenox Square, and the Watknov Gallery in Russia.

As for the

show, l'shengala will take place at the Atlanta

Renaissance Hotel July 3-4. Fifty vendors and artists

will be represented, including Floyd's T. Riffic

Characters. There will be an opportunity to meet and

greet the artists at a preview party July 2 at a cost of

$25.

Part of the

show over the weekend will include a pin

competition/auction. Proceeds from the auction will

benefit the Children's Miracle Network, as well as

Egleston and Scottish Rite hospitals. The show runs 10

am. to 5 p.m. at a cost of $8.

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