Maaike Wiegman-Leavey  was born and raised in the Netherlands and after establishing a career in Ophthalmology she decided to take classes with Adri Wolters at the Volks Universiteit Van Beresteijn in Veendam.  She and her binational family moved to the United States in 2014, continuing her career in Art and Ophthalmology.   

Soon after relocating to the New York area she became a member of the Washingtonville Artists Collective, the Orange County Arts Council and she  serves on the Board of Directors of the Wallkill River Center for the Arts.

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"My art is eclectic, a true reflection of the many bends and turns my life has taken, I love learning about people's life stories, cultures, history, and how we can always find something in common no matter how geographically distant our backgrounds are.   My art is an expression  of  the redefining of my own culture, my rural farming roots, my work in ophthalmic imaging and my love for music. I feel New York fits me well. It is eclectic like me, it is full of life, stories and history, the Arts are present in any culture. It is a reflection of humanity, it defines it and transforms it, continuously."

Maaike enjoys working and experimenting with a wide range of media including acrylics, watercolors, pastels and block printing and also like to mix these on occasion. Many of her works reflect a loose organic style. Her portfolio includes examples of landscapes,  buildings, portraits, ophthalmic imaging, and still life.