The Wild Remembered
Art Collection by Naïma Namaste
The Wild Remembered is a poetic collection of paintings inspired by the wild, instinct, freedom, dreams, and the mystical beauty of Mother Earth. It is an exploration of our deep connection to nature...and to the wildness that still lives within us.
Naïma Namaste
Believe
Believe was born from the moment I decided to believe in myself and believe in my dream.
For so long, I had carried the dream of becoming an artist, but somewhere along the way, I had stopped believing that I could truly do it. Beginning again meant confronting that doubt and choosing to trust myself anyway.
Looking back, I realize I wasn't simply painting a tiger.
I was painting faith.
The faith I had been searching for outside myself had quietly been growing within me all along.
The tiger emerged from the darkness, carrying the feeling of something awakening...something powerful that had always been there, waiting to be seen.
For me, the tiger represents inner strength, courage, instinct, and the wild part of ourselves that knows before the mind does. She represents the moment we stop asking for permission to become who we are.
Original sold
Year of creation 2021
Messenger
Messenger was created as a tribute to Takaya, a remarkable wolf who lived alone on an island near Vancouver Island.
I followed his journey from afar, fascinated by his solitude, his freedom, and the mysterious life he had chosen.
In 2019, I travelled to Vancouver with the hope of catching a glimpse of him.
I never did.
In March 2020, Takaya was killed by a hunter.
His story stayed with me.
He was one of the first wolves I felt an overwhelming need to paint...not simply as a wild wolf, but as a spirit, a presence, a symbol of something larger.
When I imagined him, I saw him emerging from a portal, travelling through the Butterfly Nebula, as though crossing between worlds.
He was carrying a message.
A message of awakening and hope.
Original available
Year of creation 2021
Phoenix Rising
This painting began with a dream...
In early 2021, just as I was beginning my journey as a professional artist, I had a dream that felt incredibly real.
Three times, a golden eagle appeared to me. First, it came toward me. Then it soared above me. Finally, it landed gently on my arm.
When I woke up, I felt something had shifted. It was as if life was reassuring me that I was exactly where I was meant to be.
We all carry doubts, fears, old wounds, and stories that can keep us from becoming who we truly are.
To me, this painting is about moving through those seasons with courage. It's about trusting that every ending holds the possibility of a new beginning.
The lotus flowers symbolize transformation, growth, and awakening. Together with the eagle, they remind me that we are always capable of rising: stronger, wiser, and more aligned with who we are meant to be.
Phoenix Rising is a reminder that even after life's hardest seasons, we can choose to rise again.
Original available
Year of creation 2021 - 2023
At Peace
After Messenger, I felt I had more to say about Takaya.
I wanted to paint him not as the solitary, powerful wolf we so often imagine, but in a moment of complete gentleness.
I came across a photograph of Takaya resting among wildflowers, and it touched me deeply.
He seemed so peaceful there, surrounded by flowers, simply resting.
There was something about that image that stayed with me.
We often think of wolves as powerful, mysterious, wild creatures. We forget their gentleness.
We forget that they, too, rest.
They seek comfort.
They enjoy beauty.
They have their own rhythms and moments of peace.
They are not so different from us.
And I wanted this painting to honour that side of Takaya...the quiet, tender side of the wild that we don't always see and seem to forget...
At Peace found its way home to Cheryl Alexander, who had spent eight years observing Takaya and sharing his story.
That meant so much to me.
The painting was not simply going to a collector.
It was going to someone who had known Takaya's story intimately and had helped keep his memory alive.
And somehow, it felt right.
Takaya had lived near Vancouver Island.
And now this painting of him would remain there too.
He had come home.
Original Sold
Year of Creation: 2021
Ocean Heart
This is the third painting of Takaya...
This time, I imagined him resting on a rock, surrounded by the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, beneath the moon and in the back a majestic oak tree and the mountains.
The painting came from a different place in me.
There was no sadness in it.
It was pure joy to create.
I was painting the spirit of the coastal wolf, but I was also painting my own memories of Vancouver Island...the feeling of its wild coastline, its immense nature, and the sense of magic I experienced there.
This isn't a literal portrait of a place.
It is a dream.
A memory transformed by imagination
Original sold
Year of creation 2021
Rest Area
Rest Area is a warm and peaceful painting of a sleeping fox, nestled beneath a tree, which I created during the fall season.
For me, it became a reminder that we all have our own rhythm. Sometimes we need to slow down, rest, and let ourselves simply be.
The fox reminds me to trust my own cycle...to pause when I need to, and to know that rest is also part of the journey.
Original sold
Year of creation: 2021
Howling to My Heart
Howling to My Heart marked the beginning of my Wild Woman series. I felt called to keep painting wolves and women: two powerful symbols of instinct, intuition, freedom, and the untamed self.
Through these paintings, I explore my own connection to the wild and to the elements...earth, water, fire, and air...and the ancient part of ourselves that still remembers how to listen, feel, and belong.
This painting is not available.
Year of Creation: January 2022 during the Wolf Moon
Under the Moonlight
I created this painting during a season of my life when I was learning to slow down and trust the process.
Every month, the full moon draws me back to my paints. It's a quiet ritual that always brings me inspiration.
This piece was born under the Super Blue Full Moon on August 22, 2021, a full moon in Aquarius, my sign which made the experience feel even more meaningful.
The tiger rests peacefully on a branch, holding both strength and stillness. To me, it reflects the balance between knowing when to move forward and when to simply be.
This painting is a reminder that not everything needs to be rushed.
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is pause, trust the timing, and let life unfold in its own way.
Original available
Year of creation 2022
Sacred Bond
When I created this painting, I was taken back to a moment I'll never forget.
I was driving toward Yellowstone when a majestic deer appeared. It stood still and looked directly into my eyes.
For a few quiet moments, everything else disappeared.
I felt whole.
I felt clear.
I felt like I had found myself again.
I've always believed in the medicine of the wild...those unexpected moments in nature that remind us who we are.
To me, the deer is a symbol of love, gentleness, divine guidance, and the path of the open heart.
This painting is an invitation to reconnect with yourself, and remember that sometimes the most profound moments ask nothing of us except to be fully present.
Original available
Year of creation 2022
Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse was born during the Blood Moon of 2022.
It emerged from an old painting, and the transformation felt almost unexpected. I remember painting the moon phases late into the night and feeling completely immersed in the experience.
For me, this painting marked a turning point in my art journey...a moment of transformation, both in my work and in myself.
Soon after, You Are the World, a very special painting of a woman and a wolf, came to life.
Original available
Year of creation 2022
Rêverie
When I created this painting, I found myself getting lost in the colors of my imagination and the quiet beauty of the wild.
I imagined a white-tailed hawk landing gently among wildflowers and water lilies...a moment so peaceful it felt like taking a deep breath and becoming one with nature.
That's when the title Rêverie came to me.
This painting is an invitation to slow down, wander, and let your mind drift. The more time I spend with it, the more hidden details I discover.
Every glance reveals something new, as if the painting has its own quiet story to tell.
I hope it inspires you to pause, dream a little longer, and reconnect with the wonder that lives within us all.
Original available
Year of creation 2023
Soul Free
Nature has always been my sanctuary.
Whenever I needed peace or clarity, I found it in the mountains, the trees, and the wild places that always brought me back to myself.
Coyotes hold a special place in my heart. After encountering them several times in Joshua Tree National Park, I fell in love with their playful spirit, quiet confidence, and freedom.
To me, the coyote is a symbol of resilience, curiosity, and trusting your own path.
Soul Free is a reminder to reconnect with the wild within and let your spirit roam free.
Original available
Year of creation 2024
I Belong to the Wild
I heart lives in the mountains,
where torrents roar and living rivers wander,
where the wolf's cry echoes through the wild,
and where my soul remembers who it is.
— Naïma
This is my most personal painting.
The hand reaching toward the grey wolf is my own.
When I painted it, I wasn't trying to capture a moment. I was expressing something that has lived within me for as long as I can remember...a sacred connection to the wolf that continues to guide and inspire me in ways I cannot fully explain.
To me, the wolf is more than a symbol. It is a teacher of instinct, freedom, courage, and belonging. It reminds me to trust the wisdom within and to live in harmony with my true nature.
This painting is not about reaching out to the wild.
It is about remembering that we have never been separate from it.
I Belong to the Wild is an invitation to return to that place within yourself...where the spirit is free, the heart is open, and the soul remembers who it is.
Original available
Year of creation 2024 - 2025
Love Holds All Things
This painting was inspired by the story of Takaya and my time on Vancouver Island...
To me, Takaya embodied both incredible strength and quiet gentleness.
As I painted, I kept coming back to the idea that true strength doesn't need to overpower. It can be calm. It can be compassionate. It can be rooted in love.
In this painting, Takaya walks peacefully across the bluff at sunrise. The first light of day surrounds him, reflecting the quiet beauty of life awakening.
The sunrise represents hope, renewal, and the promise of a new beginning. Through Takaya’s presence, I wanted to capture that feeling of peace and connection, a moment where the wild, the earth, and the spirit seem to become one.
For me, this painting is not only about Takaya, but also about the beauty of life, the resilience of the wild, and the hope that continues to rise with every new dawn.
Love holds us.
Love guides us.
Love holds all things.
Original available
Year of creation 2026
Finding Magic
I created this painting as a reminder that magic is often found in the quiet moments, when we slow down and truly notice the beauty around us.
A curious fox meets a gentle bumblebee, surrounded by a meadow of wildflowers...a simple moment that holds so much wonder.
To me, the fox symbolizes curiosity, intuition, and the courage to explore, while the bumblebee reminds us that even the smallest beings have an important place in the world.
Finding Magic is an invitation to stay curious, embrace wonder, and remember that nature always has something to teach us.
Original available
Year of creation 2026
Wild Hearts Know the Way
I created this painting to celebrate the untamed feminine spirit.
The horse felt like the perfect symbol, strong yet gentle, intuitive, free, and deeply connected to its own nature.
To me, being wild isn't about being loud or reckless.
It's about trusting yourself.
Listening to your heart.
Moving through life in a way that feels true to who you are.
May this piece remind you that your wild heart already knows the way.
Original available
Year of creation 2026