Marja Ouwerling

Marja Ouwerling lives in Westland, a greenhouse area in South Holland in the Netherlands. Her father was a grower and instilled in her a love for growing and blooming things. She drew and painted from an early age and began her career as a porcelain painter at Royal Delft. After working as a window dresser for jewelers and setting up exhibition stands in Utrecht, she returned to Westland.

Though largely self-taught without formal art education, Ouwerling studied with numerous artists including Xander Wellen, Wim van 't Riet, Inge Teunissen, Wim Snijders, Kees Fluitman, Tanja van der Sijp, Peter Vasilev, Pien Hazenberg, and Zhou le Sheng. A significant influence was training as an artistic dynamic coach at the TIKI in Breda, which helped her move away from realistic work toward a more feeling-based approach. This shift is particularly evident in her series "Flowers On Water," which combines flower still lifes with fantasy, patterns, and motifs. Her inspirations in acrylic painting include Sandrine Pelissier, Karen Knutson, Linda Wilder, and Gustav Klimt, while her pastel work draws from Bethany Fields, Karen Margullis, and Susan Jenkins.

Ouwerling works primarily in acrylic and pastel, often painting outdoors in plein air. She builds her compositions in layers using striking colors and careful attention to tonality. Her work aims to convey love for nature and care for the earth for future generations. Since 1995, she has exhibited extensively, with solo shows at Kunsthuis18 in Naaldwijk, Hofboerderij in Wateringen, hospitals, a police station, a rehabilitation center, and the Rai in Amsterdam. Her work is held in private collections in several countries.