“I create abstract paintings for those carrying memories of places they can no longer return to.”
My paintings explore memory, belonging, landscape and emotional connection through colour, texture and movement. Inspired by changing skies, water, light and the traces left by personal experience, I create works that invite reflection and individual interpretation.
Working primarily in oils and mixed media, I use intuitive mark-making and layered surfaces to build compositions that balance atmosphere, emotion and abstraction. Rather than depicting a specific place, my paintings create space for viewers to bring their own memories and stories to the work.
Through each painting, I seek to create moments of connection, contemplation and hope.
Shazia Naqib is a contemporary abstract artist based in Greater Manchester, England.
Her work explores themes of memory, belonging and the emotional connections people form with places, landscapes and personal experiences. Working primarily in oils, acrylics and mixed media, she creates expressive paintings inspired by atmosphere, light, colour and the natural world.
Through intuitive mark-making and layered surfaces, Shazia creates artworks that balance emotion and abstraction, inviting viewers to bring their own memories, stories and interpretations to each piece.
Her work has been exhibited in galleries, festivals and public art displays across the UK and internationally, including HOME Open 2026, Didsbury Arts Festival 2026 and the Public Art Manchester Billboard Exhibition. In 2026, her painting Where Tides Go High was shortlisted for the inaugural Cecile Elstein Studio Art Prize.
Shazia is a member of the Altrincham Society of Artists and continues to develop new collections from her studio in Greater Manchester, creating artworks that explore the relationship between memory, place and emotional connection.
My paintings begin without a fixed destination. I work intuitively, building layers of colour, texture and movement until a composition begins to emerge.
Inspired by changing skies, water, landscapes and the emotions connected to memory and place, I allow each painting to develop naturally through observation, experimentation and response. Rather than creating a literal representation, I focus on atmosphere, energy and feeling.
Working primarily in oils and mixed media, I use layered brushwork, glazing and texture to create depth and visual rhythm. Each mark becomes part of an evolving conversation between the painting and the artist.
The finished work is intended not as an explanation, but as an invitation — encouraging viewers to bring their own memories, experiences and interpretations to the painting.
