ONCE UPON A TIME...
Naïma is a French contemporary artist and oil painter based in the south of France, near Bordeaux.
Originally from Normandy, Naïma grew up surrounded by meadows, forests, gardens, and the quiet beauty of the French countryside.
Her early connection to nature and her fascination with Claude Monet’s work became lasting influences on the way she sees and creates art today.
Although her professional path initially led her into graphic design, the desire to become an artist never disappeared. Today, painting is at the heart of her life and artistic practice.
Naïma’s work explores femininity, freedom, nature, and the quiet process of becoming. Her paintings bring together feminine figures, animals, and romantic landscapes in a visual language that balances strength and softness, intuition and intention.
Inspired by both the natural world and the inner landscape, her work invites the viewer to slow down, reconnect, and remember something essential.
"Each painting is an invitation to reconnect with a more instinctive and sensitive part of oneself, what I call “the wild, remembered.”
"I often describe this journey as that of a lotus flower... a gradual, almost invisible unfolding after years of searching for myself. Everything was already there, waiting to emerge."
A TURNING POINT
After more than a decade working as a graphic designer and exploring the world, Naïma returned to painting in 2017.
She began by reproducing a few paintings by Monet and Renoir as a personal experiment, wanting to discover what she could create through observation, practice, and trust in her own eye.
That experience opened the door to something she had carried with her for years: the possibility of becoming an artist.
In 2020, Naïma chose to return fully to painting, and in 2021 she dedicated herself to her artistic practice. She deepened her skills through a one-year online portfolio program, exploring oil painting, acrylics, drawing, and mixed media while developing her technical abilities and visual language.
Since then, her practice has become increasingly intentional, while remaining deeply intuitive.
Today, Naïma is known for combining feminine portraits with romantic and contemplative landscapes, often inspired by her connection to nature—both inner and wild.
My work continues to evolve through a dedicated painting practice in my atelier in the south of France, where each painting becomes part of an ongoing exploration
NAÏMA'S CREATIVE PROCESS
Each painting begins as a dialogue between instinct and intention.
The first phase is raw and intuitive, almost wild. Naïma builds abstract backgrounds using acrylic inks and charcoal, incorporating her signature technique of collaging organic elements such as leaves and flower petals into the painting.
She also incorporates fragments of paper and text through collage, creating layers of texture and visual memory within the work.
"This stage is guided by movement and feeling, allowing the composition to emerge freely, without control."
From this space, the subject takes form. Feminine figures or animals appear, grounded within the energy of the background.
Naïma then works primarily with oil paint, developing depth, light, and subtle details. Occasionally, she incorporates oil pastels or water-soluble pastels to add texture, softness, or intensity to specific areas.
Built in layers, her paintings balance spontaneity and precision.
They invite the viewer to come closer - to discover the textures, hidden elements, and quiet dialogue between the visible and the unseen.
A CONNECTION THROUGH ART
Some paintings are not chosen... they are recognized.
“Today, my paintings are created for those who seek beauty that means something.
For lovers of nature, softness, wild landscapes, emotional storytelling, and artwork that quietly reflects parts of themselves back to them.
Because sometimes a painting becomes more than decoration... it becomes a feeling, a memory, a sanctuary, or a reminder of who we are and what we love.”
FINE ART MATERIALS AND SUPPORTS I USE IN MY ART
I am very sensitive to the environnement and when I started oil painting, my first concern what the products I was going to use. I wanted to find paints and solvent that are less toxic. And I was happy to find these amazing and high quality brands:
Charvin Arts - Fine Oils - Paris, FRANCE
Sennelier Fine Oils - Paris, FRANCE
Gamblin Galkyd Lite and Eco House Dammar Medium - USA
ROBERSON : Solvent Orange studio safe - UK
Eco House Damar Varnish 100% naturel - USA
Canvas 100% linen or cotton - handmade in France by Master Toiles