Artist Statement
Vivienne was born in Glasgow in 1958 and spent every summer in the village of Kildonan, Isle of Arran. She now divides her time between living in Chesterfield, Derbyshire and also regularly visiting Kildonan several times a year, where she runs a holiday let. These two places are a constant source of inspiration; moorlands and the coast.
Trained at Grays School of Art, Aberdeen (1976 -1981) she specialised in sculpture and ceramics. Soon after graduating she started a 30 year period of working in Arts Administration, Gallery Education and Lecturer in Art and Design, working in Sunderland, Cumbria, Sheffield and Chesterfield. Having worked at helping others to show, appreciate and create artwork she has now returned to focussing on her own creativity.
Influences in her work are the natural world;both: sea-life and birds as well as patterns in nature.
Streamlined, fluid shapes of birds and sea creatures are a source of inspiration for me as a sculptor in clay. Clay forms are hand built and then burnished. I employ diverse materials such as seaweed, banana skins, and avocados in the smoke firings to create the random markings on the surface of each piece. Each work is unique and cannot be repeated. These are smooth tactile sculptures that beg to be held and touched.
Vivienne’s work is exhibited and sold in many galleries throughout the UK from Orkney to the Channel Islands. She is a member of Peak District Artisans with whom she exhibits in venues all over Derbyshire and beyond at different times of the year. Visit www.peakdistrictartisans.co.uk for more information.
