Maryke Degeus (1917-2007) was born at The Hague, The Netherlands and trained as a school teacher. During the war she was involved with the Dutch resistance movement, and also served in Indonesia. In 1949 she came to live and teach in Brisbane, later moving to Surfers Paradise. From 1957, she studied panting with Jon Molvig in Brisbane, and was also friends with Ian Fairweather. In 1958, she travelled with Molvig to Melbourne and through Central Australia. On a trip to Holland in 1966, she met and married an oil company executive and lived in Borneo and Sarawak. After they separated, she returned to Surfers Paradise, painting works reflecting her Indonesian experience. Some time after 1972, she transferred her interest to ceramics, setting up a new studio in Nerang and conducting pottery classes for children. Her ceramic works are signed with an incised or painted 'Degeus'.

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