My wife gave me a gym membership for my birthday, do you think she was trying to tell me something? That was three weeks ago. I finally went to the gym yesterday. You have to understand that I haven't been to a gym in twelve years. If any of you have seen my video at www.annthegran.com you can see what an abscence like that can do to a body. Today I am very very sore. I am not the kind of person to build up to something, I just jump in with both feet. In this instance I think that might not have been the best course of action. I will however continue and hope to get back to some semblence of shape by the fall season of trade shows. So if you see me and don't notice any change, please don't bring it up.
As I mentioned yesterday I am writing an article really a white paper to make available to the attendees of my webinar. Below I am including an excerpt.
The Influence of Fine Art On Contemporary Embroidery

Embroidery is not an art form that lives in a vacuum; it is influenced by everything around it. When we design embroidery, whether we know it or not our subconscious culls ideas from everything that we hear and see.
This is not really something new, it has always been happening. Some art movements are stronger and affect all aspects of our lives including fashion, automotive design, and even common household devices, such as was the case with the Art Deco movement, others have a more subtle influence.
In other cases it is everyday life which affects the art movement. The pop art movement is perfect example of that occurrence.
Andy Warhol started his career as commercial illustrator, and as such was very familiar with the rendering of everyday items. When he started to paint those same items on canvas, that is when he transcended commercial to fine art. This is also when contemporaries such as Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein were putting their own unique slant on similar works.
Warhol even designed a paper dress with his popular Campbell’s soup can screen onto it.
Not many artists have taken it upon themselves to make the transition from fine art to fashion, most have left that creative reinvention to others.