Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creative ideas and energy. In this episode Susanna meets the artist Clare Woods in the garden of her studio in north Herefordshire. They talk about her recent collaboration with Edinburgh's Dovecot tapestry studio to weave three tapestries. Entitled The Smotherers, The Take Over and The Volunteers, the tapestries are woven in a wondrous array of greens and depict intensely beautiful undergrowth and weeds. They are soon to go on display at London's Garden Museum.

Clare who initially studied sculpture is a celebrated artist. Her luscious paintings of fulsome flower arrangements and aged planters filled with wayward unkempt plants, celebrate both beauty and decay. Clare talks about her process of making - she paints on the horizontal rather than vertical - the joy of colour and her collaboration with Dovecot.

Clare is also currently showing a painting in Earth Matters, an exhibition curated by Susanna and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Inverleith House. She has a solo show at Pitzhanger Manor, London runs until 8 November. Threads of Ascent: Tapestries by Clare Woods is at the Garden Museum from 9 October to 5 November.

Dovecot, a tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh. Founded in the early 20th century and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts powerhouse William Morris, today Dovecot is celebrated for its ambitious collaborations with leading contemporary artists, such as Linder, Alberta Whittle and Chris Ofili to create outstanding tapestries. Do tune into our podcast Exploring Dovecot to hear Clare in conversation with Dovecot's director Celia Joicey and master weaver, Naomi Robertson.

Dovecot Studios
Clare Woods
Garden Museum
Earth Matter Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Pitzhanger Manor

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of DES Talks, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

And don’t forget to explore our previous podcasts such as our visit to the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, our conversation with Viv Lee and Jonathan Wade talking clay and the making of Earth Becoming for Earth Matters or Susanna's chat with celebrated film maker Mark Cousins about his film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things celebrating the artist, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

Huge thanks to musician Malin Lewis for Cycle Lane which accompanies DES Talks and Ryan Scott Media for production.

Image Clare Woods by Susanna Beaumont

Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creativity and people from across Scotland. In this episode Susanna visits Dovecot, a tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh. Founded in the early 20th century and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts powerhouse William Morris, today Dovecot is celebrated for its ambitious collaborations with leading contemporary artists, such as Linder, Alberta Whittle and Chris Ofili to create outstanding tapestries.

Susanna chats to Dovecot's director, Celia Joicey and master weaver, Naomi Robertson. They discuss Dovecot's early history and its journey to its present day home, a former public baths where members of the public can look down from a viewing balcony to the weavers weaving on vast looms below. She also talks to Clare Woods, an artist who has recently worked with Dovecot on three tapestries. Woven from watercolours of weeds and entangled undergrowth painted by Clare, the tapestries in brilliant verdant greens are soon to go on display at London's Garden Museum. You can hear more from Clare in our DES Talks - Clare Woods.

Dovecot Studios
Clare Woods
Garden Museum
Earth Matter Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of DES Talks, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

And don’t forget to explore our previous podcasts such as our visit to the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, our conversation with Viv Lee and Jonathan Wade talking clay and the making of Earth Becoming for Earth Matters or Susanna's chat with celebrated film maker Mark Cousins about his film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things celebrating the artist, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

Huge thanks to musician Malin Lewis for Cycle Lane which accompanies DES Talks and Ryan Scott Media for production.

Image Clare Woods and Dovecot Studios, The Volunteers, 2026, ©Dovecot Studios

Welcome to DES Talks. In this episode Susanna explores Hospitalfield, an extraordinary 19th century Scots Baronial cum Arts and Craft house with a glorious walled garden that is dedicated to contemporary art and ideas.

Located on Scotland's east coast a skip away from the North Sea and the town of Arbroath, Hospitalfield was built by Patrick and Elizabeth Allan-Fraser as their home. Arbroath-born Patrick who studied art at Edinburgh of College of Art was determined that Hospitalfield become a home for artists, building light-filled studios in 1901.

Over a 100 years later, Hospitalfield today welcomes art practitioners from around the world and offers workshops and welcomes the general public. The celebrated architects, Caruso St John, have built a cafe, a fernery and restored the studio spaces. And a few years back the visionary plantsman and garden designer, Nigel Dunnett, devised a beauteous planting scheme for the walled garden.

Susanna speaks to Hospitafleld's director Lucy Byatt, architect Peter St John and artist, choreography and performer, Florence Peake. Florence recently staged Ode to the Dark, a collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre at Hospitalfield. A processional performance that excavates the realms of loss, Florence talks about her work and the ongoing exhibition at Hospitalfield, Your Meaning Not Your Materiality.

Lucy also talks about the work of Nigel Dunnett who died earlier this year and the prestigious International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens which has just been awarded to Hospitalfield.

Hosptifalfield
Florence Peake
Caruso St John Architects
Nigel Dunnett
The International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens
Watch Florence's 2025 peformance of To Love and To Cherish at Jupiter Artland.

Thanks so much for listening to our DES Talks conversation, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

And don’t forget to explore our previous podcasts such as our visit to the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, our conversation with Viv Lee and Jonathan Wade talking clay and the making of Earth Becoming for Earth Matters or Susanna's chat with celebrated film maker Mark Cousins about his film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things celebrating the artist, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

Huge thanks to musician Malin Lewis for Cycle Lane which accompanies DES Talks and Ryan Scott Media for production.

Image - Florence Peake, Your Meaning Not Your Materiality, Hospitalfield. Image Neil Hanna.