Naomi McCavitt (right) and Freddy Clark of Thicket Design (Photo by Sarah Walor)
Artist Naomi McCavitt has what she calls a “lifelong infatuation” with natural history, American wildlife, antique treasures and Victorian interiors. Now she and husband Freddy Clark have created Thicket Design, a studio and design house where she creates art celebrating these interests while infusing them with modern appeal. Through a shared love of the outdoors and antiquarian objects, the couple give new life to the antique naturalist illustrations that inspire them. “Our mantra is to bring the outside in, whether it’s in your home, apartment or safe haven. Your thicket, if you will,” Clark says.
As the studio’s designer and illustrator, McCavitt brings a background rich in fine art and illustration. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She’s also been a contract employee of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries since 2015, creating nature-based illustrations that have been transformed into everything from posters to patches, enamel pins and license plates.
“Marsala Bouquet II,” gouache, printed on fine art paper, 30 by 30 inches
McCavitt starts each piece by sourcing images of a subject that she wants to tackle — a naturalist collage chart, a mineral study, or various types of marine life — from the well-read pages of antique natural history books. “If I’m painting a mushroom for a chart, I may take the color of this one and use the spots from another,” McCavitt says. “I make sure it’s specific to the species and accurate, but there’s some artistic interpretation there.” After the painting is complete, each image gets scanned, placed into a collage and printed. Clark, who manages the business side of Thicket Design, handles production.
“The greatest challenges come from taking something old, and making it feel contemporary,” McCavitt says. “If you change the scale and blow it up, or change the background and simply make it white instead of the aged paper that naturally occurs from old books, [this] makes a huge difference.”
In addition to wall art, Thicket Design also creates light fixtures, decoupage plates and custom projects including pet illustrations. McCavitt is currently painting an in-home mural reminiscent of traditional scenic wallpaper, and will reveal two wallpaper designs in the coming months.
“To be able to collaborate with other people and see a piece of us in their home is what Thicket Design wants to do,” Clark says. Goods from Thicket Design are available locally at 68 Home, Gather Home and Garden, and thicketdesign.net.
Don't Miss
Richmond artists Andras Bality and David Freed exhibit new paintings and works on paper that convey nature, seasons and location. Joe Seipel shows mixed-media constructions based on photographs he took while traveling in Cuba.
May 4-June 29. 1514 W. Main St. 804-355-6553, reynoldsgallery.com