May I Take Off My Hat?
Yvonne Porcella
Susanne M Jones
Potomac Falls, Virginia, USA
Artist Statement
I created this piece after I spent time with Yvonne Porcella at Sacred Threads 2015 during the last year of her life. Yvonne was going through another round of cancer treatments, fighting the good fight for her last six years. She was not about to let that keep her at home in California when Sacred Threads and the Quilt Alliance’s Not Fade Away conference were happening on the east coast.
So she traveled all day to be there. When she got in my car at Dulles Airport, she asked, “May I take off my hat?” I was so impressed by her concern for everyone else’s comfort. My thought was, “Dear lady, you can do whatever you want.” That event was the inspiration for this portrait of Yvonne in a gold wool beret surrounded by her favorite colors and favorite traditional piecing.
Woman’s Groundbreaking Accomplishment
… founder of Studio Art Quilt Associates and godmother of art quilting.
Techniques
This was pieced, appliquéd, and machine quilted. It is floated on a separate black and white check background. Her glasses were made via photo transfer.
Materials
cotton, wool