The Artistry of Susho
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The new Silk Road, as with the ancient one, is paved with silk, bringing China's treasure to the rest of the world. This treasure comes in the form of silk artwork, Susho, created in Suzhou, China. Susho is known for the elegant design of the patterns, the vividness and depth of the colors, the mastery and application of intricate stitches and the overall craftsmanship of the Silk Artwork. I'm sure you will agree, this combination of ancient traditions with new innovations has created a New Silk Road for the 21 Century. |
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A professional artist, who uses paint, could easily spend just a couple of years taking classes and be able to create the kind of art they choose. An amateur with talent, but no training whatsoever, can pick up a brush and create a nice painting. Millions of people know how to paint, far fewer produce true art, but only a handful of artists in the world can create Susho (刺绣 Ci Xiu) masterpieces. Unlike that of painters, the career of a silk artist has a very formal path. Our silk artists normally start training as teenagers, learning skills and techniques from their families, passed down from generation to generation. Usually it takes 10 – 20 years to become a master silk artist. Susho, by its nature, will always have a limited supply and will become more and more rare over time, adding to the value of each piece. However, for the artistry alone, Susho masterpieces will always be priceless. |
Color Quality
Only carefully-dyed, pure silk is used in our Susho. And we use thousands of different shades of color. The wide variety of tones and shades used by our artists, allow them to create shading and dimension that brings the silk artwork to life.
In Chinese culture, dragons are an extremely important symbol, represented extensively in art, poetry and literature. Symbolically, the dragon represents the emperor's role in mediating between heaven and earth.
The same patterns are often made in different sizes. Usually, the larger canvases will use a greater variety of colors. With few exceptions, very detailed and colorful artwork will need to be made in larger sizes, like 16x24, 18x18 or even bigger.
 More than 200 colors. |
 More than 100 colors. |
 35 colors. |
Please hover to zoom!
12 colors. |
Two pieces of the same size can vary the number of colors used. Some simple images require few colors; more complicated images will need dozens. While the quality of craftsmanship is always high, the more colorful pieces take much longer to make, and are therefore more expensive. Here are some samples, so you can compare.
 Simple red tulip design, 6 colors. |
 Complex blue inis design, 25 colors. |
 Simple tiger design, 22 colors. |
 Complex tiger design, 78 colors. |
Stitch Length
To create high quality Susho, a short stitch is always better than a long stitch. Long stitches are faster and easier, short stitches are more time consuming, but add to the quality. One easy way to judge the quality of Susho is by the length of the stitches.
 Short stitches. |
 Long stitches. |
Thread Thickness
One piece of silk can be divided into 16 individual strands of thread, the smallest, finer than a human hair. A good rule-of-thumb is the thinner the silk, the finer the quality of the silk artwork.
Overall, the affect of Susho is not unlike Pointillism. Up close you can see each of the tiny stitches and marvel at the design and execution of such detailed work, but when you step back, you are overwhelmed by the beauty of the image created.
| Separating thread and hand stitching with a parallel stitch. | High resolution realism. | |
 Full silk thread thickness. |
 Thinnest silk thickness. |
Generally, when the subject of Susho is a portrait, flowers, or animals, the artist will use a very fine thread with a very small stitch. For peoples' facial features and skin, these tiny stitch patterns allow the artists to create detail and shading that brings a remarkable sense of realism.
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You will notice how this technique also allows the artists to create images with an amazing amount of expression. Our ladies look serene, our tigers look fierce and we even have a lion who looks like he's listening intently to his master.
Layers of Stitches
We use a different technique with our landscapes. Instead of using tiny stitches to create detail, the goal here is texture. Silk artists vary the length and thickness of stitches, layering them one on top of another to create a 3D effect.
The Susho creation process is different from paintings. When an artist creates an image in silk, each of the individual fibers and their color remain intact. Where a painter would blend the paints to create the exact affect desired, a silk artist must blend the colors by layering them.
Some simple pieces may have 3 or 4 layers of stitches; larger works might have ten times that amount. When a silk artist creates a very complicated landscape, it has more layers of stitches than are completely visible, building and blending the colors to replicate nature as closely as possible. The quality of landscapes is usually judged by the number of layers of stitches.
 One layer of silk. |
 Several layers of silk |
 More than 6 layers of silk. |
 Two layers of silk. |
Stitch Lines
Stitch lines are either straight or curved. One similarity with paintings is the difficulty of executing curved lines. If you try drawing a straight line, and then try drawing a perfect circle, you can tell immediately which is more difficult.
The same holds true for stitching. A curved stitch line is more difficult to execute than a straight stitch line. Silk artists use many short, tight stitches and connect them together carefully to make a curved stitch line.
A measure of high quality Susho, is the extensive use of curved lines in the design.
Here are two examples: A red poppy and white lily. As you can see, the poppy is sewn in straight stitches, resulting in less definition. The lily is made in all curved stitches to shade and create definition.
 Simple straight line stitches. |
 Complex curved line stitches. |
Quality Guidelines
You do not have to be an expert to appreciate the quality of handmade Susho masterpieces. One look is all you will need to be impressed. But we hope knowing a little more about our work will bring a deeper sense of satisfaction in owning such a treasure. To judge the quality of Susho, please look at:
- Colors – The more colors, the higher the quality.
- Length – The shorter the stitches, the higher the quality.
- Thickness – The thinner the thread, the higher the quality.
- Layers – The more layers, the higher the quality.
- Design – The more curved lines, the higher the quality.
- Colors – The more colors, the higher the quality.
Here are samples from our silk artists’ work, and others bought from a tourist shop, it is not difficult to see the differences.
 Low Quality, ugly background, purchased at a tourist trap. |
 Exquisite background, goegeous!. |
 Low Quality, ugly colors, purchased at a tourist trap. |
 Made by a Grand Master Artist. |
 Made by a Master Artist. |
 Made by a Grand Master Artist. |
