Born in Rotterdam to Sjoerd and Marianne van Leeuwen, Wietske vanVan Leeuwen grew up in [[Mijnsheerenland]]. Her father ran a timber trading company in [[Overschie]], and her uncle wasis the photographer Piet van Leeuwen (born 1942).<ref>[https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/artists/48993 Piet van Leeuwen (1942-)] at the Netherlands Institute for Art History.</ref> She studied handicrafts and textile art at the teacher education in Delft from 1984 to 1989, and ceramic design at the [[Gerrit Rietveld Academy]] in Amsterdam from 1989 to 1993<ref>[http://wietskevanleeuwen.nl/wietske_van_leeuwen/curr._vitae.html Curriculum Vitae] at wietskevanleeuwen.nl. Accessed 22.05.2015.</ref> under [[Jan van der Vaart]], and [[Henk Trumpie]].<ref>Press release "[http://www.carlakoch.nl/persberichten/janenleerlingen.html Jan van der Vaart en leerlingen]," in Galerie Carla Koch, Delft 2005. Accessed 15.05.2015.</ref>
After graduation she settled in Amsterdam as independent artist and started her own studio. in Amsterdam, andShe received a number of grants from the Mondriaan Fonds, Dutch Foundation for Visual Arts. Her works are constructed in a baroque style, with shells and fruit as recurring motifs. Since 1997 she is also working as teacher ceramics and drawing at various courses.
Work of Van Leeuwen is present in the collection of the [[Gemeentemuseum Den Haag]],<ref>Marjan Boot. "Aanwinsten eigentijdse vormgeving," in: ''Haags Gemeente Museumkrant,'' 1993.</ref> the [[Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen]] in Rotterdam,<ref>"In the rough : images of nature through the ages in the collection of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum; January 13 through April 1, 2001." Fundação de Serralves, 2001</ref> and the [[Princessehof Ceramics Museum]].
