Arran Artist of the Month
Our second Arran Artist of the Month is Vivienne Sillar, who although only a part-time island resident has a connection to Arran going back to childhood.
How would you describe your work and the philosophy behind it?
I work with clay and use hand building techniques. Each piece is unique, I don’t make production ware. The subject matter is inspired by watching seals and birds. Like most people on Arran I find the wildlife completely beguiling. The streamlined shapes of marine life suit my interest in form and shapes. Favourite subjects are seals, gannets, curlews, heron and also garden birds.
The aim behind the work is that it must feel beautiful as well as look beautiful. It should make you want to touch it and sooth you as you hold it. The work can have a meditative quality as well as an aesthetic.
Where did you grow up, go to school and college?
I grew up in Glasgow. We lived north of the city in Bearsden. I went to Laurel Bank School and then I attended Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. I was there for 5 years until 1981. While I was there I specialised in Sculpture and Ceramics. Tim Pomeroy was in my class in first year!
What other jobs have you done?
My first real job was as a ‘Craft Exhibition Organiser’ in Sunderland Arts Centre (now known as Northern Centre for Contemporary Art). I was there for 3 years and originated and toured exhibitions of contemporary craft-people / makers. Then I moved to West Cumbria and worked as an ‘Art Education Worker’. My job was to organise artists (visual, performing and literature) to work in schools and the community. I was there for 3 years.
I then moved to Sheffield where, for 10 years, I was an Education Officer in the Art Galleries. I worked with schools and curators of the exhibitions to make the art collections more accessible. More recently (for the past 15 years) I have been teaching ceramics and Art and Design Theory in Chesterfield College.
In addition to these jobs I have been an assistant in an infant school and also a school dinner lady!
I recently took redundancy from teaching to focus on my ceramics full time. I have been making and selling my work for about 4 years now and decided to take the leap. Nothing is certain but then again I’ll never know unless I give it a go. I’m lucky to be able to do it after 31years of working. Nothing ventured….
