MARY LOU NOVAK
ART PILLOWS
Originally I called my painted pillows “Dream Pillows” because at the beginning I based the designs on my own dreams. Sometimes the design included well known comic characters like Brenda Starr, Felix the Cat, Little Lulu and heroic figures like Wonder Woman, Mary Marvel and the Phantom. Later pieces were more like visionary fantasies where I used highly recognized trademarks of the early 20th century such as Buster Brown or the Old Dutch Cleanser Girl. Many of the paintings were humorous but others brought up serious issues about environmental crimes such as poaching, gun control and bioterrorism.
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that I was Brenda Starr and was reunited with my mystery man in a purple room with black orchids. Brenda was my role model in the fifties. She was everything I wanted to be: • Beautiful • Bright • Romantic • Sensitive • Adventurous
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that I flew back home to Pittsburgh and everyone was gone. Where were Mom, Dad, and my sister Betty? After all, only 30 years had lapsed since I left for California.
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that I drove my 1983 Toyota back to San Diego on Route 66 with Felix as my guide.
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that I fell asleep wearing a silver metallic jumpsuit in a snow-covered field of giant poppies. My loyal monkey, Mokka, sat near me, ready to protect me against any evil.
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that an old Dutch woman, carrying a red club, chased me down a cobblestone street in Pittsburgh. Did she think I was just another dirt bag?
15"x15" Acrylic on Fabric Text on Back: I dreamed that I jumped into a French haystack with Roy to find a lost needle. Yahoo!
Acrylic on Fabric
Available on
© 2014 Mary Lou Novak