Vivienne trained as a fine artist at the Glasgow School of Art, and in Stockholm, where she learnt how to cold-cast glass. From there she went to the National Museum of Scotland, gaining valuable experience as a conservator. She then worked for ICON accredited conservator Linda Cannon, helping with the conservation of a church in the Scottish highlands. During this time, Vivienne discovered that there were numerous zinc windows in northeastern Scotland, that are incorrectly recorded as lead. Wanting to further research these windows and develop her skills, she enrolled on a MA in Stained Glass Conservation and Heritage Management at York University.
A QEST Scholarship funded Vivienne’s course fee during the remainder of her MA. She worked on identifying gaps in Scottish stained glass heritage such as pre-reformation fragments, 19th century zinc churches, Celtic imagery in 19-20th century glass, transatlantic influences and the effect of the Scottish climate on conservation. In addition, she undertook a 16-week placement to a world leading glass conservation studio, as well as a practical dissertation research trip to the USA. Vivienne aims to become a leading expert in Scottish stained glass conservation, publishing original research and contributing to the craft sector.
