Posts tagged female
Berliner Nacht: Kalla Kriget
Apr 30th
A red-hot Cold War theme party at Kolingsborg, Stockholm, Sweden, produced by Damón Zurawski with burlesque performances, wild live bands, femme fatales and DJ battles between Sovietabilly and Rockabilly. Featuring burlesque babes Hurricane Irina, Betty Q, Fräulein Frauke, Pepper Potemkin, Miss Diamond, host Fez Wrecker, stagekitten Gabriella Dal Rooth, live bands The Troubled Three and Bolshevikings, Big Fat Joe and Damón in the DJ booth, and a truly gorgeous audience.
- Damón Zurawski
- Fez Wrecker
- Fez Wrecker
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Miss Diamond
- Hurricane Irina
- Hurricane Irina
- Fräulein Frauke
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Miss Diamond
- Miss Diamond
- Fez Wrecker & Hurricane Irina
- Gabriella Dal Rooth
- Gabriella Dal Rooth
- Gabriella Dal Rooth
- Damón Zurawski & Fez Wrecker
- Damón Zurawski
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Hurricane Irina
- Hurricane Irina
- Fez Wrecker & Hurricane Irina
- Fez Wrecker & Hurricane Irina
- Fez Wrecker & Hurricane Irina
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Party guests
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Betty Q
- Bolshevikings
- Bolshevikings
- Bolshevikings
- Fez Wrecker & Damón Zurawski
- Betty Q, Fez Wrecker & Damón Zurawski
Making of The Ocean’s Awaiting
Feb 28th
- Denise test 1
- Denise test 2
- On top of rocks, looking down
- The cliffs in Tullinge
- Denise test 3
- Denise test 4
- Denise test 5
- Denise test 6
- Denise’s silhouette on top of rocks
- Denise’s silhouette on top of rocks
- Detail
- The area on top of the rocks
- Before & after PhotoShop
- Before & after PhotoShop
Photoshoot : The Ocean’s Awaiting
I worked with the model Denise Karlsson for this shoot. She’s naturally beautiful, photogenic and exceptionally dedicated, so I warmly recommend her. The idea behind this shoot was a kind of ghostlike fairytale full of innocence and evil all rolled into one persona and Denise was perfect for the part.
We found some rocks in Tullinge, Sweden, which set the scene for the photoshoot. There are many cliffs and large rock formations in the Stockholm landscape, and I’ve always wanted to include some in a shoot, so this was a perfect opportunity. Unlike most of them, however, these rocks were not sealed off, so it was possible to get very close to them and to climb on top where there’s a flat area covered with lots of small stones – a quite interesting, deserted landscape. We walked around exploring some days before the shoot and I took some test shots of the model, which can be seen above.
The day of the shoot was in November. It was cold and windy and the area was full of sharp rocks, but Denise was a badass and didn’t complain once. We fashioned an improvised summer dress for her out of some fabric and cloth pins I’d bought, did some minimal makeup and curled her hair before heading out to the location. Our awesome assistant, Andreas Lenner, helped make sure that Denise didn’t turn blue by having her coat ready whenever I stopped clicking on the camera.
I recently finished editing the photos, which you can see here.
Some of them I decided to manipulate in PhotoShop to get multiple Denise’s – you can see the before and after versions above. This was done by carefully masking out the model in different photos and then layering them in a composition. It’s important to mask out the layers using brushes that are appropriate for the level of detail in the photo, if you want it to look realistic.
Another good tip for something like this is to remember to blur the different layers according to the background. In this case, further away meant more blurry than closer to the camera.
Finally, once you have achieved a good composition, adjusting the colors, levels and curves helps to make things look more consistent.
Photoshoot: The Ocean’s Awaiting with Denise Karlsson
Feb 11th
On a cold November day a very brave girl danced atop the cliffs.
Model: Denise Karlsson
Styling & MUA: Mariam Zakarian & Denise Karlsson
Photography & editing: Mariam Zakarian
Awesome assistant: Andreas Lenner
Location: Tullinge, Sweden
Fraulein Frauke presents Victorian Circus
Nov 30th
A wonderful burlesque show and party inspired by the Victorian circus, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden. Featuring: Scotty the Blue Bunny, Mr Pustra, Erochica Bamboo, Miss Lily DeLuxe, Nancy the burlesque Marionette, Evilyn Frantic, Fräulein Frauke and more!
- Nalen
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Fräulein Frauke
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Scotty the Blue Bunny
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Scotty the Blue Bunny & the band
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Nancy the burlesque Marionette
- Winners of Best Costume
- Miss Lily DeLuxe
- Miss Lily DeLuxe
- Miss Lily DeLuxe
- Stagekitty Gabriella
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Mr Pustra
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- Erochica Bamboo
- End of show
Good vs. Evil sleeve + half-torso design
Nov 14th
As with most large scale pieces this particular design has a lot of intricate, interweaving elements. The client approached me with a request for a half torso + half sleeve design as a celebration of accomplishments and personal victories, as well as a reflection of overcoming struggles in his past.
The main theme is the classic good vs. evil battle, illustrated here by a tug of war between a pinup demoness and a warrior angel. The demoness is seated on a throne of skeletons on a trail of death leading to a pool of blood within which lost souls writhe in anger and agony. The black snake sent by her is the manifestation of problems and personal darkness, as it disappears into the tattoo bearer’s skin and comes out again to wrestle with the warrior angel. Parallel to this imagery the rope which the angel is tugging represents the fight, success and determination, and it buries itself into the skin as well, before it resurfaces to tie up the wings of the demoness. The illusion of objects surfacing from beneath the skin symbolizes internal struggles.
The evil jesters represent prominent personas in alliance with the demoness, as one of them is being hanged by the rope from the angel and the other two are up to no good offering poison and the Dead Man’s Hand, a combination of cards in poker.
Additionally, the client asked for symbols from aviation and travel: the flags, the compass and the iron wings of the angel.
The design was reinterpreted by Eno Kuiken from Guru Tattoo, (San Diego, CA, USA) into a full sleeve and will be used for the half-torso piece as well.
Berliner Nacht: Halloween
Oct 31st
Halloween party at Kolingsborg, Stockholm, Sweden, with burlesque/boylesque performances, contortionists, crooning dictators and terrorist DJs. Featuring Pepper Potemkin, Rasmus Wurm, Elegy Ellem, Manda Rydman, Evy Maroon, Minou Moustache, Evilyn Frantic, Frank Sanazi, Fez Wrecker, Gabriella Dal Rooth, and Big Fat Joe and Skinny Kangur in the DJ booth. Produced by Damón Zurawski,
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Elegy Ellem
- Fez Wrecker
- Fez Wrecker
- Slippery Utopia with guest
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Pepper Potemkin
- Photographers
- Stagekitten Gabriella Dal Rooth
- Rasmus Wurm
- Rasmus Wurm
- Rasmus Wurm
- Rasmus Wurm
- Rasmus Wurm
- Rasmus Wurm
- Frank Sanazi
- Frank Sanazi
- Evy Maroon
- Evy Maroon
- Evy Maroon
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Evilyn Frantic
- Minou Moustache
- Manda Rydman
- Manda Rydman
- Manda Rydman
- Manda Rydman
- DJs: Big Fat Joe & Skinny Kangur
- The DJs
- Party guests
- Party guests
Bricks and Slices
Jun 11th
Listen to Bricks and Slices

Credits
MUSIC: SEVA GRIGORAKI & MARIAM ZAKARIAN
LYRICS: MARIAM ZAKARIAN
GUITAR, SYNTH, BASS, EFFECTS, TAMBOURINE: SEVA GRIGORAKI
VOCALS: MARIAM ZAKARIAN
DRUMS: JEPPE LØWE & MARK FLINDT ANDERSEN
GUITAR SOLO: RASMUS MISÁ HODAP HANSEN
RECORDED BY: RALF REDDING & RASMUS MISÁ HODAP HANSEN AT UNGDOMMENS HUS FREDERICIA
MIXED BY: JEFFRO LACKSCHEIDE
MASTERED BY: TREVOR SADLER
ARTWORK AND OTHER PROMOS BY: MARIAM ZAKARIAN
MODEL: JANNIKE OLOFSSON
EP artwork: WILDEBEEST
Jun 6th
This is the design and packaging I did for the independently released debut EP for my multimedia project WILDEBEEST. The photo for the cover and the logo were also done by me.
I am the vocalist, co-composer and lyricist on the EP, which is available for streaming and free download. If you want one of the limited edition, signed digipaks, they can be purchased here.
Cover Model: the superhuman Jannike Olofsson
Elysian Fields
Mar 20th
My first oil painting.
The title refers to the final resting place for the souls of the virtuous in Greek Mythology. It is also a reference to the term “The Little Death”(orgasm), highlighting the relationship between death and ecstasy. Her blue figure and explosive colors express the moment of climax and death. The flowers on her eyes are a play on the ancient Greek ritual of putting coins over the eyes of the deceased so that they may pay the ferryman Charon to sail them over the river Styx to the Elysian Fields. Normally, though, the dead only needed one coin as they would stay in the afterlife forever. This woman gets two, because she must cross the river twice and return to life.
References were used
Approx. 40x120cm, oil on canvas
2010-2011
Shortly after I finished the painting a butterfly decided to sit on it for a while. I’m not sure why it did that, but it was a sweet little moment.
Composite photos
Feb 23rd
In some cases you need to add things to an image to make it seem more interesting or balanced. Obviously, it can be done subtly or you can actually build a concept around the technique.
In this example I found that the original photos weren’t too interesting by themselves. Also, I thought both kids were cute and was disappointed that it wasn’t possible to get them both in the same frame. The solution was to clone the little boy in blue into the other picture in PhotoShop, using a lot of careful masking. The key ingredients here are patience, and returning to the image with fresh eyes to make sure everything seems natural.
This photo is from my Autumn photoshoot with Asra
Another shoot where I used the same technique was The Ocean’s Awaiting where I cloned the model. This was done by carefully masking out the model in different photos and then layering them in a composition.
It’s important to mask out the layers using brushes that are appropriate for the level of detail in the photo, if you want it to look realistic.
Another good tip for something like this is to remember to blur the different layers according to the background. In this case, further away meant more blurry than closer to the camera.
Finally, once you have achieved a good composition, adjusting the colors, levels and curves helps to make things look more consistent.
Check out the reverse of this technique: Object removal
Photoshoot: Strands and Traces with Denise Karlsson
Feb 14th
Model: Denise Karlsson. Visit her site and book her! She’s incredible.
Photography/editing: myself
Location: Tullinge, Sweden
The Lilith Effect
Jan 29th
BUY A PRINT IN THE WEB SHOP
Acrylics on canvas
Assorted references were used
Approx. 80cm x 60cm
2007 – 2010
Lilith is a character from Jewish mythology. She was created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam, unlike Eve, who was created from one of Adam’s ribs. Lilith was Adam’s first wife (before Eve), who is scorned and demonized in the writings, because she refused to be subservient to Adam and decided archangels were more fun. It was this treatment that inspired my work with the painting – why is a woman a sinner if she refuses to be passive? Should Lilith really be regarded as a demon or is she in fact a victim in the story?
The painting has many symbols from the Garden of Eden and various other associations. The larger image of the woman and the snake is mirrored in the center of the painting where the snake is eating the hummingbird (see Details).
HIFX:EVEolution
Feb 25th
This was an excuse to work with evolution and religion in a direct way. I love playing with anatomy, bones in particular, and I enjoy drawing wings. Also, I find the idea of merging man and machine fascinating and wondered about an alternative take on Eve. So this is the result of all of that!
Originally finished in 2007, but I decided to edit the colors and make them more vibrant recently.
References used for the face.
Adobe PhotoShop + Wacom Volito2 tablet
Photoshoot: Autumn with Asra
Nov 25th
Photographer: self.
Model: Asra.
Camera: Canon EOS 350D.
Software: Adobe PS CS4.
Location: Risskov+Aarhus, DK
‘Kids’ is a composite image. See how it was created here
Cold days with Anders Warrer
Nov 19th
Lament
Jul 31st
My final high-school project for art class.
Finished in April, 2006
Acrylics on board.
It measures 2,55m x 1,30m (roughly 8’4” x 4’3”….and I’m 161cm tall, you do the math) and took me 2 months of hard work to finish.
This is a painting about change and choices and creating and self-expression. You can let misfortunes drain the life out of you or you can use them to feed pretty things, filtering bad blood through pure white flowers.
Obviously there are lots of symbols in this. The most important is the thick, green vein that leads from the heart, through the body, out the head, around the arm and into the flower that bleeds.
Photoshoot: Streetsmart
Jul 20th
Photo/styling/editing: myself.
Model: Bokra Zerinai.
Camera & software: Sony Cybeshot DSC-F717 & Adobe PhotoShop CS4.
Location: Aarhus, Denmark.
To see how Street Revelations came to be, click here.



































































































































































































































































































































































