Yvonne Porcella, A Memoir - Defining Why

www.yvonneporcella.com

My new book is available for purchase. Please visit my website for ordering information. This book would make a perfect gift for family and friends. It is a look at my life as a California native, ancestors who shaped my life and my art.

FFAC event to take place in February 2015.

This event will take place on February 4, 2015. One
day, 100 artists, donors are asked to contribute $100.00
to American Cancer Society. One of 100 artists are
randomly selected to send the donor a gift. What will it
be? Mark your calendars now to remember to donate.
www.virginiaspiegel.com/FFACThe100Ffundraiser.html

Shake And Bake and Quilt Festival news

I have one more entry in a Houston Quilt Festival 2014 exhibit. "What's For Dinner" has 36 unique place mates set at a long table showing artistic versions of the theme. I am a not a good cook, getting worse every day. Fortunately I married a man who eats to stay alive and does not require anything fancy for dinner. My entry for this exhibit reaches back into the past to show a version of our 'catch of the day' camping trip circa 1966 where dinner was the catch of the day, grilled in aluminum foil with Shake and Bake seasoning. To clarify, the  orange circle seen upper left in this detail is not for humans, rather it is the lovely open jar of orange Salmon eggs used as bait. And it worked! I caught a fish. If you make it to Houston, stop by and enjoy a calorie free suggestion of What's for Dinner curated by Dinner@EightArtists Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison.

Also a catalogue will be available on Amazon.com for the 2014 Houston Quilt Festival Dinner@EightArtists curated exhibit titled "Reflections". We hope to see you at the exhibit. With the catalogue you can enjoy the art quilts if unable to see in person. Here is a detail of my entry "Primarily Water". The full quilt and 5 others from the exhibit will be in the fall issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

Houston Quilt Festival 2014

I will have a quilt in the 40th anniversary Ruby Jubilee exhibit this year as well as 32 pieces in a solo exhibit  -Yvonne Porcella Once & Again. Going all out this year, another quilt will be in "Reflections" curated by Dinner at Eight Artists and an auction quilt for Inspired by Libby. I am giving a lecture at Festival on Thursday October 30 at 11 AM. Most of the time I will be either in my exhibit area with my quilts or in the MistyFuse booth with the vendors. The first time I visited Quilt Festival was in 1980 and I was selling my Pieced Clothing books. This year it will be my Memoir, a lovely little book with stories and photos. Come and see me in Houston. www,quilts.com

SAQA at 25 Announces Silver exhibit

This year Studio Art Quilt Associates is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a special juried exhibit on display at IQA Quilt Festival in Houston Texas. The title of the exhibit is Silver with artists creating a special piece. Even I have not seen the work. I selected the artists based on previous work within a variety of techniques. My 1993 photo posted here as you can see, I am ready to go, full of energy, ready for action. I will have an exhibit of my own work this year at Quilt Festival. Stop by and say hello. I may look a bit different than this glam photo, I'm a few years older.! Have you joined SAQA yet?

Quilt Festival Houston 2014

www.quilts.com
I just received the mailer for Quilt Festival Houston IQA 2014 and a detail of  this quilt is featured. I am having a solo exhibit this year "Yvonne Porcella - Once And Again".  I will be exhibiting older work, wearable art, kimono, quilts both older and new plus a brand new never seen before series of 16 panels 15" x 16", each panel features a different design, inspired by memories.  The panels were started after my 2012 retrospective in an attempt to make a large quilt within my new limited capabilities. No longer will I attempt a 112" x 109" hand appliqué, hand quilted piece. We borrowed my large quilt from the collector and it looked so grand at my retrospective, taking up a whole gallery wall. I hope if you come to IQA Quilt Market or Festival, please stop by my exhibit and say hello. "Lily Loves Her Callas" will be there, originally shown on Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson in 2003!

New Book Coming this Fall 2014

I will have a new book available this fall. Title is "Defining Why" a Memoir. Currently being edited it soon will be off to the printer. Sorry that I don't have all the information on size, price, publishing, on line, on demand, or self publish.
I have authored 10 books and having control over the paper, and quality is foremost. Lots to
consider, how heavy will the book be, do I want
to go into the self publishing business again?
Could I literally pick up a case of books? This is
a big consideration since I have rods and screws in my back to stabilize my wonky vertebrae and
my limit to carry is 5-10 lbs. I will let you know via my web site and Facebook page.  www.yvonneporcella.com

It is possible for me to use only two colors in a quilt?

This is my design wall in my studio I have a flannel quilted
grid fabric on the wall. I can pin my work in progress or finished quilt onto the flannel and take a candid photo. My husband came into my studio when this piece was on the
wall and he said "You only used red and white? I didn't know
you could do that." "I'm Misty For Red" 50" x 50" was made
for the IQA 2014 Houston Festival exhibit "Ruby Jubilee - Celebrating 40 Years". Red has always been a favorite color and some of the fabrics in this piece are from my 30 stash of
collecting fabrics. I made three panels using MistyFuse to
attach the cut fabrics to a white background. I have used a
heart image in many of my quilts so I began there, each panel was machine quilted and joined with sashing. So many of the
fabrics in this quilt bring back memories, a trip to Germany,
a used pillow case, a recycled silk shirt.
I have not heard if this quilt was selected for the exhibit, traditional, antique and contemporary quilts were invited to
entry. I will never make a "Dear Jane" quilt but I do admire the skill and dedication to make one.

Detail of my red fabrics.

Updating a few images to my blog

 "Illusion" 36" x 36" made for California Cancer
Center in Modesto CA. My oncologist invited me
to create a wall quilt visible to all the patients who
come for cancer treatments. I painted the background canvas, added more paint highlights, and fused the foreground silk shapes. I think of
cancer treatments as a journey, we look in the mirror and see who we think we are, we don't see
the cancer but know it is all an illusion, the cancer lurks but hopefully will leave or become dormant.
Hope springs eternal!

For dinnerateightartists exhibit Reflections, to be displayed at IQA
Quilt Festival in Houston this fall 2014. My 24" x 60" panel "Primarily
Water" is a reflection of our California drought, we think water as
something that will always be there, bodies of water held behind dams from the mountains, flow to make our valleys fertile. Without water our golden
hills soon turn to red, high fire danger warning are posted, red fire trucks
station themselves, ready to roll when smoke appears. Some of the fabrics
in this piece are hand painted, others bits and pieces of silk.

"Paris 1866" silk fabrics 16" x 16" detail of a memory
seeing Manet "The Fifer" at Musee d'Orsay in Paris and
again at the Met Museum in NYC. It is a powerful image,
one that I could not copy but tried to capture the essence of
a young boy in a soldiers uniform ready to join the parade
with his fife. This piece was sold during an exhibit at the
Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA