A 1990 graduate of Yale University School of Art, Novatny received the Basil H. Alkazzi Award in Painting in 1999. He was also the recipient of the purchase award and Louise Shepard-Hengst Award in the 79th Annual Columbus Art League Exhibitions, and the purchase award and Valentine Award in the 78th Annual Columbus Museum of Art Award. One of New York?s most significant contemporary artists today, Novatny has had solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States. His works often are compared to Russian and European folk art traditions because of his use of brightly colored patterns in the fabric and furniture of his works. These busy patterns seen in the wallpaper, clothes and furniture of his works display the folk traditions of earlier periods. In Woman in a Floral Dress, the artist shows his affinity for busy patterns. The female figure wears a floral patterned dress and carries a piece of cloth with a different pattern on it. Her walk seems mechanized and her mood seems detached. She appears trapped in solitude in a world controlled by the artist. The quirkiness of the figure arouses the imagination of the viewer. What seems so simple at first glance takes on new meaning as the intimacy of the work begins to unfold and reveal itself.