Note · 10 July 2026

[ku] 25/26 Art

Croquis with Lady Misty May, Museo Skogster Hämeenlinna.

Drawing hand over a sketch sheet with a note reading three minutes and a quick figure

Croquis session at Museo Skogster. Three minutes per pose, then the next line.

Number

J25 / 25/26

Section

Art

Date

10 July 2026

For Finland's Day of Visual Arts, burlesque artist Lady Misty May posed as the model at Museo Skogster. Short poses, concentrated gazes, many very different lines.

A Special Afternoon at Museo Skogster

Some afternoons stay with you because several things happen in them at once. This one at Museo Skogster in Hämeenlinna was one of them. For Finland’s Day of Visual Arts, burlesque artist Lady Misty May posed as the model for an open croquis session, quick drawing from short poses. Concentrated gazes, changing postures and, all around, many very different lines and interpretations.

Exhibition room at Museo Skogster with an illuminated stage arch and sparkling stage costumes on mannequins — *The stage of the exhibition. A feather cape and glitter costumes under the illuminated arch.*

The Figure Behind the Figure

Behind Lady Misty May is the Finnish artist Susanna Immonen. Since 2015 she has worked as a burlesque performer, art model, teacher and producer. Her stage persona is an elegant English aristocrat whose perfect facade slowly begins to crumble over the course of her humorous, narrative performances.

Lady Misty May sitting as a model in front of a red-lit arch, flowers in her hair, in stage costume — *Lady Misty May, the stage persona of Susanna Immonen, holds the pose.*

Lady Misty May as a model, seen through a reflecting display case between costumes — *Through the glass of the display case. Model and costumes layer over one another.*

More Than Glitter

Burlesque means far more than seduction and shining costumes. The artist decides for herself how she shows her body, what she makes visible and where her boundaries lie. Exaggeration, humor and staging can question conventional ideas of femininity, beauty and the gaze on the female body. Here the body is not a passive motif, but a means of expression, a stage and a self-determined stance all at once.

Wide view into the room, Lady Misty May as a model on a bench, drawing guests and stage costumes all around — *The whole circle. The model at the center, people drawing all around her.*

Lady Misty May lying as a model on a bench between stage costumes, in fishnet stockings and gloves — *A calm, longer pose between the costumes.*

Lady Misty May from behind, arms raised above her head, in front of the illuminated stage arch — *Posture as language. Every pose is a decision.*

Lady Misty May standing as a model in the exhibition room, one hand at her head, surrounded by costumes — *Among the exhibited gowns, herself part of the scene.*

Night Moths, Glitter and Statements

The croquis session took place within the exhibition “Yöperhoset, kimallusta ja kannanottoja,” roughly “Night Moths, Glitter and Statements” in English. It tells of the world of burlesque, drag and dance, runs until early January 2027 and was organized jointly by the Hämeenlinna City Museum, the city’s artists’ association and Lady Misty May.

Two small ceramic figures in a display case, behind them the colorfully lit stage of the exhibition — *The small things tell their part, too. Ceramic figures in the display case, the stage behind them.*

Close view of Lady Misty May as a model, through glass and reflections — *Close and yet obscured. The image takes shape between the layers.*

A Day for Art

The occasion behind it is special, too. Finland celebrates its Day of Visual Arts every year on 10 July, the birthday of painter Helene Schjerfbeck. All over the country, the day brings art actions, exhibitions and shared creative encounters. A beautiful way not just to show art, but to experience it together.

Sketchpad seen from above with quick, dynamic figure drawings in ink — *Several figures take shape on the pad within minutes.*

Woman drawing, wearing a hat, seen from behind, the model on the stage blurred in the background — *Every gaze translates the same pose differently.*

Several quick figure drawings on a sketchpad, with a drawing hand — *Many lines, many interpretations, one model.*

Detail of crossed legs in fishnet stockings with high heels, drawing guests behind — *An afternoon about the body as a stage. And about seeing together.*

I have also captured this afternoon in my magazine from Hämeenlinna, with more pictures from the shared drawing.

Continue reading in the magazine →

J24

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