Ceramics and Me

After many years spent in writing, painting, etching, using reams of paper, I ended up working with porcelain as well. It was a revelation; many of the things i did before converged; painting, drawing, casting, writing, engraving, printing... Although I like making “normal” cups and plates, tiles with fishes, birds and fountains, I like to experiment constantly and than, somehow, I find myself using the material like paper or trying to make it look like paper; printed on, incised and folded... .
I am fascinated by the fragility but also the strength of this ceramic material and, perhaps due to the history of my journey through the world of art, I love to transfer the qualities of paper to this material to resemble paper, crumpled, covered with writing and folded, exploiting its transparency, its different surface qualities, its capacity to catch and preserve colours on the inside as well as on the outside , underneath and over its glossy, satin or matt skin.
I stretch it, paint it, fold it, going to the limits of its strength, fragility and transparency.
And it often leaves me in desperation because of its fragility. It leaves me breathless with the feeling of happiness to see its fragile intensity.

For years I worked as an artist in the BKR, the Dutch Government Work agreement for artists before going abroad with my husband and three boys. At the same time I studied biology and philosophy at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands and followed etching courses in Amsterdam, bronze casting (lost wax) in Wageningen [with Ben Joosten] drawing from models at the Art Academy Minerva in Groningen. Work (ceramics, etchings, paintings, art books, photographs) is in various public places in Holland, Spain, Chile, Korea, Australia, Portugal and Italy.
I published poetry, short stories and translations on the literary review “Hollands Maandblad“ Poetry was published by Cadans as 'Carthago in het Middaglicht'.

Currently I live and work near Milan (Italy).

Ceramic exhibitions, recognitions and awards:

- 10 DIEZ AÑOS DE CERÁMICA CONTEMPORÁNEA- Cerco 2011, Zaragoza, (Spain)

- Il Sentiere d'Arte (Pasqua 2011, Trarego, Lago Maggiore)

- Fondo Plastico, Spazio Casa 2011 (Vicenza, Italy)

- Argillà 2010 Faenza (Italy)

- Elit-Tile 2010 -First prize for Best Tile Concept (Mejor Tile Concepto) Premio Fundaciòn Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic

- 27th Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award – 2010

- Grimmerhus Museum (Denmark) 2010

- "Homage to Deruta" 2010 Torre Strozza (Italy) (Honorable mention)

- craft2eu “Paperficial” 2010 Hamburg (Germany)

- European Ceramics 2010 Westerwald Museum (Germany)

- Honorable mention 5th World Ceramic Biennale 2009 (CEBIKO), Korea

- Biennial of Manises 2009 (Spain)

- Biennial of Aveiro 2009 (Portugal)

- L'Alcora 2009 (Spain)

- "Folded Love Letters series" 2ndpremium CERCO 2008 (Zaragoza, Spain)

- L'Alcora 2008, Spain

- Biennale de L'Esplugues 2008, Spain

- Gold Coast Award 2008, Australia

- Argillà 2008 Fair (Faenza)

- Fiera della Ceramica 2008 (Firenze)

(Publication Lark Books “500 ceramic sculptures” (spring 2009)

Margrieta Jeltema's Werke aus Porzellan führen das Material definitiv an seine Grenzen. Die Objekte entstehen in Anlehnung an Papiermodelle, von denen sie sie sich immer mehr entfernen um etwas ganz Eigenes zu werden. Sie können Schalen sein, aber auch Blüten oder eine hohle Hand. Formen verweben sich mit Bedeutungen und Assoziationen, die ganz individuell beim Betrachter entstehen - gleich nachdem das Erstaunen über die Zartheit von wahrer Entdeckerfreude abgelöst wird. So ausgebeult, zerknittert, ausgefranst leugnet sich das Porzellan. Es täuscht Flexibilität und Weichheit vor - erst wenn man es berührt verschwindet diese Illusion. Das Vexierspiel findet hier seinen Höhepunkt, poetisch und inpirierend.