Gold Body Paint Photography: Zack Zublena's Art in Seattle

Some collections are created. Others have been waiting for us all along. Animal Fusion is one of those.

Seattle is a city defined by its dramatic natural setting, rich creative spirit, and deep appreciation for refined modern design. From historic brick galleries in the Pioneer Square Creative District—the birthplace of Seattle's iconic First Thursday Art Walk—to the contemporary architectural residences overlooking Puget Sound in Capitol Hill, Belltown, Bellevue, and Mercer Island, Pacific Northwest interiors celebrate the harmony between nature and human artifice. In a region where soft northern light illuminates rich cedar wood and stone, my artwork brings a warm, luminous centerpiece to high-end interiors.

It all began in South Africa, in 2012. It was there, in the golden light of the savanna, that I took my first steps as a professional photographer. I remember those mornings leaving before dawn, the silence of the bush, and the moment when, suddenly, a leopard appears in the tall grass and rests its gaze on you. That gaze never leaves you. It taught me patience, humility and respect. Above all, it taught me what presence truly means.

Since then, two passions have guided my life as an artist. On one side, the big cats I love so deeply. On the other, the human body painted in gold, and especially the woman: feline, magnetic, sovereign. For years, these two worlds lived separately in my work. With Animal Fusion, they finally meet.

Lion Goddess, from the Animal Fusion collection.

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A Love Story with the Big Cats

I returned to South Africa, to the Greater Kruger region, where I was fortunate to stay at the magnificent lodges of Londolozi and Singita. There, nature is not a backdrop: it moves through you. You spend hours following a lioness and her cubs, waiting for a leopard to come down from its tree, watching for the perfect light at dusk.

I photographed the lions and leopards in this collection myself, in the wild, in their own territory. None of them comes from a stock library. Each one carries the memory of an encounter, a suspended moment I had the privilege to live.

The lion moves me with its nobility. It is the most social of all cats, and it is the lionesses who lead the hunt and protect the pride, as the Smithsonian's National Zoo reminds us. The leopard fascinates me with its mystery: solitary, agile, invisible until the very last moment, strong enough to carry its prey high into the trees, as National Geographic describes. One embodies sovereignty, the other enigma. Both embody a kind of absolute beauty.

Leopard Fusion, golden fine art photography.

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The Golden Woman, Feline and Magnetic

Since 2016, I have been painting bodies in gold and photographing them as living sculptures. What has always struck me about the women I photograph is their feline side: a way of moving, of holding themselves, of looking into the lens with the same quiet intensity as a big cat in the savanna.

With Animal Fusion, I wanted to make that invisible bond visible. The leopard's rosettes flow across golden skin. The lion's gaze melts into a woman's face. The figure does not wear the animal like a costume: she becomes it, the way a dancer becomes the music.

Leopard Goddess, a very limited edition from a small private collection.

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An Idea Three Thousand Years Old

I am not the first to dream of this fusion. In ancient Egypt, the lion-headed goddess Sakhmet, "the powerful one," embodied both strength and healing. Her statues, carved more than three thousand years ago, still stand today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. And that same civilization reserved gold for the gods, because it never tarnishes, as The Met explains in its essay on gold in ancient Egypt.

Seattle has long honored masterworks of global culture and sculptural expression, as championed by institutions like the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). The sacred animal and the sacred metal: with Animal Fusion, I bring these two ancient languages together for our modern era.

Real Women, Real Big Cats, Real Gold. No AI.

For me, this is essential. Every woman in this collection is a real person, whom I painted in gold by hand and photographed in the studio. Every big cat is a wild animal I photographed myself in South Africa. In an age of AI-generated images, I want every element of my work to have been lived, felt and shared. I explain this in more detail on my page No AI Art, Real People.

Gold has been worked by hand for millennia, from Egyptian goldsmiths to the master gilders of Florence, and institutions like the Getty Conservation Institute still document these traditional crafts. My work humbly continues that lineage, with the human body as its surface.

What Each Work Carries

• The lion and lioness: courage, leadership and radiant confidence.
• The leopard: independence, intuition and quiet strength.
• Gold: light, permanence and the sacred potential of the human body.

Lioness Fusion, in a modern bedroom.

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Animal Fusion in Your Seattle Home

I created these works to live with you. In Seattle’s distinctive homes—from contemporary Belltown penthouses and sleek waterfront villas in Bellevue to warm timber-and-glass retreats on Mercer Island—gold introduces a captivating radiance. On a dark, moody accent wall, gold glows like candlelight. In a sunlit living space with expansive views of Lake Washington, it catches shifting daylight, bringing texture and emotional warmth to modern architecture.

Golden Leopard Fusion, one of my collectors' favorite works.

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Above a sofa in a Capitol Hill loft, a large print instantly creates a compelling focal point. In a serene master bedroom, a leopard adds sensuality and quiet strength. In an entryway, a lion welcomes guests with nobility and warmth.

Golden Embrace with Leopard in a contemporary interior.

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Pairs, Diptychs and Triptychs

I designed this collection as a dialogue. Two works hung side by side create rhythm, symmetry and a silent conversation between the woman and the animal.

Two Animal Fusion works hung as a pair.

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For larger walls, I invite you to discover the Golden Feline Spirit Diptych, uniting the lion and the leopard, or the Feline Fusion Triptych, created for collectors, hotel lobbies and private residences.

For Collectors, Interior Designers and Hospitality in Seattle

My photographs already live in more than 140 David Lloyd clubs across the UK and Europe, where they are seen by over one million members. With Animal Fusion, I am delighted to bring this energy into private estates, boutique hotels, and luxury spaces across Greater Seattle, as celebrated by Visit Seattle.

If you are an interior designer, art consultant, or hospitality professional in the Pacific Northwest, I would be delighted to collaborate on bespoke fine art projects for your clients.