The Quilting World lost one of its luminaries and founding mothers earlier this week – Yvonne Porcella was making art from her hospital bed in the last days of her life – an artist to the end and still excited about color and design.
She faced repeated visits to the hospital in her fight against ovarian cancer, and always managed to keep her sense of humor, her grace and dignity. Her curious spirit and her deeply rooted creative perspective brought her joy and strength despite her ongoing health challenges.
She was the founder of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) and I met her when I joined the Bernina Ambassadors. She was kind, welcoming and enthusiastic no matter who she met. I never heard her say a disparaging word about any fellow quilter or artist, which in these days of online flame-throwing, is one of my favorite attributes of Yvonne.
Because of Yvonne, we have been a sponsor of the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles for many years. We started by sponsoring a retrospective of her work, and I was amazed by the turnout for her opening reception.
I saw her last year at Sacred Threads, but also spent time with her in Houston the year before, when she had a special exhibit with her work. I offered to take some headshot photos of her in the exhibit, and this is my favorite. (above) It really captures her spirit.
Yvonne’s playful abstract bright quilts were instantly recognizable, and we sold out of her biography photo-book last year. She is so beloved in our industry, but if you didn’t get a chance to meet her, take a moment to watch this video interview from the SAQA conference in Arlington, VA.
I hope to honor Yvonne’s life by carrying on her curious, playful, welcoming and enthusiastic spirit. We were lucky to know her.
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