Born in Morocco and now based on the Costa del Sol in Spain, Naima Hayat is a visual artist whose work explores the relationship between human presence, nature, colour, and movement.

Her journey into painting began during an unexpected period of change. During the COVID 19 pandemic, Naima stopped teaching regular dance and professional training classes in the province of Cádiz. What began as a disruption to her usual routine became the beginning of a new creative chapter.

Through acrylic painting on canvas, Naima discovered another way to express what had always been present within her: creativity, emotion, movement, and a strong connection with the world around her.

Her paintings move between the depth of seascapes and the warmth of reddish, pink, yellow, and ochre tones. Human figures, flowers, light, and expressive forms come together in compositions that feel both peaceful and full of energy.

In this conversation with Pice Magazine, Naima Hayat talks about discovering painting during the pandemic, the connection between dance and her visual language, her intuitive creative process, the challenges of preparing her first exhibition, and why art does not have to be perfect.

Can you tell us about your journey as an artist? What inspired you to pursue art, and how has your style evolved over the years?

I discovered painting during the COVID 19 pandemic, at a time when I stopped teaching regular dance and professional training classes in the province of Cádiz.

This new chapter led me to discover painting as a powerful form of creative expression. It allowed me to reconnect with the creativity I had always carried within me and to explore a new way of expressing emotions, ideas, and experiences through colour and movement.

Although painting was a new artistic path for me, creativity itself was not. My relationship with movement, particularly through dance, had already been an important part of my life. Painting gave me another language through which I could explore that same sense of expression.

Over time, I have continued discovering and developing my own visual language. I remain very open to experimentation and to exploring new themes and colour palettes. For me, being an artist also means remaining curious and allowing the work to evolve naturally.

What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your artwork, and how do you go about expressing them visually?

My artwork explores freedom, emotion, and the beauty of movement.

I express these ideas through colour, light, and expressive forms, creating paintings that invite the viewer to feel rather than simply observe.

I am particularly interested in the way movement can exist within a still image. A painting does not physically move, but colour, gesture, composition, and the position of the figures can create a sense of energy and rhythm.

My work also has a strong connection with nature. Seascapes, flowers, human figures, and warm earthy colours all give me different ways to explore emotion and atmosphere.

Ultimately, I want the viewer to experience something through the painting rather than simply look at it. I want there to be a feeling of freedom, movement, and emotion within the work.

Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you start a new piece, and what techniques or materials do you prefer to use?

I usually start with something I like or something that inspires and moves me.

Sometimes, I simply follow my intuition and let the painting develop naturally, observing how the colours and the paint interact with each other.

I mainly work with acrylics on canvas, sometimes adding texture and relief. I enjoy seeing how the material behaves and allowing the painting to develop rather than trying to control every detail from the beginning.

For me, intuition plays an important role in the creative process. A painting can begin with an idea or an image, but once I start working, the colours and forms can lead me somewhere unexpected.

This openness is important to me because I believe that creating is also a process of discovery. Sometimes the most interesting part of a painting is what happens when you allow yourself to follow where the work is taking you.

What challenges have you faced in your artistic career, and how have you overcome them? Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

One of my biggest challenges has been organising my own exhibition.

Preparing an exhibition is very different from creating individual paintings. It requires organisation, planning, and bringing together different parts of the artistic process into one coherent experience.

At the same time, this challenge has also become an important part of my development as an artist. I am currently organising my first exhibition, which is an exciting step and an opportunity to share my work and my personal artistic universe with the public.

My advice to aspiring artists is to trust in what they do and remember that art does not have to be perfect.

Most importantly, enjoy the journey.

I believe that allowing yourself to experiment, learn, and enjoy the process is just as important as the final result. Art is a continuous journey, and there is always something new to discover.

How do you see the role of art in society, and what impact do you hope your work has on your audience? Are there any particular responses or interactions with viewers that stand out to you?

I believe art has the power to connect people and make them feel emotions.

For me, art can create a connection between the person who creates and the person who looks at the work. That connection does not necessarily need to be explained. Sometimes, simply feeling something in front of a painting is enough.

I hope my work brings a sense of freedom, joy, and inspiration to the viewer.

One of the most rewarding responses for me is when someone connects with a painting and feels something personal through it. Every person brings their own experiences, memories, and emotions to a work, so the same painting can create a different experience for different people.

That personal connection is something I truly value. It means the painting has gone beyond being an image and has become part of someone's own experience.

A World in Motion

Naima Hayat's paintings emerge from a meeting point between movement and stillness. Her background in dance continues to echo through her visual language, while colour, light, nature, and expressive forms give that movement a new place to exist.

There is a sense of openness throughout her practice. She does not approach painting as something that must always be controlled or perfectly planned. Instead, she leaves room for intuition, allowing the relationship between colour and material to guide the work.

Perhaps this is also why freedom is such an important part of her artistic vision.

For Naima, painting is not about achieving perfection. It is about feeling, experimenting, moving forward, and allowing the journey itself to become part of the work.

And when that journey reaches the viewer, something new begins.