The home of the House of Zhang and the birthplace of Silk Art is a city called Suzhou, located in the deltas of the Yangtze River in Southeastern China, about 60 miles west of Shanghai.

Suzhou has a history of more than 2,500 years, dating back to the late Shang Dynasty. Marco Polo called Suzhou “The Venice of the East“. An old Chinese saying calls Suzhou a “Paradise on the Earth“. Centuries of tourists have praised the beauty of Suzhou’s nature, classical gardens, bridges, waters, traditional operas, and the soft tone of the dialect. Suzhou is still a favorite tourist destination with a rich history and a fascinating present.

Over the years, Suzhou has evolved into a modern industrial city. With a total area of nearly 8500 square miles and a population of just over 6 million, Suzhou is a major manufacturing, technology, investment and exporting base in China.

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The Lotus Flower grows in the deep mud, far away from the sun. But, sooner or later, the Lotus reaches the light becoming the most beautiful flower ever.
The Lotus flower is regarded in many different cultures, especially in eastern religions, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.
“荷花定律是一个哲学定律，意思是成功需要厚积薄发，需要积累沉淀。 很多人的一生就像池塘里的荷花，一开始用力地开，玩命地开…… 但渐渐的，你开始感到枯燥甚至是厌烦，你可能在第9天、第19天甚至第29天的时候放弃了坚持。 这时，往往离成功只有一步之遥。 荷花定律告诉我们这样一个道理： 拼到最后，拼的不是运气和聪明，而是毅力。 人生前期越嫌麻烦，越懒得学，后来就越可能错过让你动心的人和事，错过新风景。 一辈子太长，一秒钟太短，30天不长不短刚刚好。

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King Silk Art is now based in Southern California. We are proud of our new aesthetic, where we create both this ancient form of art, and add a touch of modern thought into some of the original designs. We believe that with our continuous efforts, this ancient art will never become extinct and will evolve with time.

In 2004, when we first introduced our handmade Silk Art in Canada, we were thrilled by the response. As the years have passed and we’ve visited new countries and continents, we continue to be delighted by the universal admiration for the tradition that is so dear to us. In the future, we hope that more and more people will have a chance to appreciate the beauty of this ancient fine art.

The post 76092 Smooth Tip Magnolia first appeared on silkart.

King Silk Art is a completely holistic family business. The House of Zhang in Suzhou, is managed by Mei Zhang. The House of Zhang cultivates silk worms, produces silk thread, dyes the thread and weaves each canvas. Our skilled and talented artists use these proprietary raw materials to create handmade Silk Art.

Once the Silk Art is perfect, King Silk Art takes over. Forest Zhang, Mei’s brother and President of King Silk Art, travels the 21’st Century Silk Art Road, paving the way for our Silk Art. Like two members of the same family, The House of Zhang and King Silk Art are separate entities, but forever intertwined.

King Silk Art is a completely holistic family business. The House of Zhang in Suzhou, is managed by Mei Zhang. The House of Zhang cultivates silk worms, produces silk thread, dyes the thread and weaves each canvas. Our skilled and talented artists use these proprietary raw materials to create handmade Silk Art.

Once the Silk Art is perfect, King Silk Art takes over. Forest Zhang, Mei’s brother and President of King Silk Art, travels the 21’st Century Silk Art Road, paving the way for our Silk Art. Like two members of the same family, The House of Zhang and King Silk Art are separate entities, but forever intertwined.

The post 76094 Magnolia first appeared on silkart.

The Lotus Flower grows in the deep mud, far away from the sun. But, sooner or later, the Lotus reaches the light becoming the most beautiful flower ever.
The Lotus flower is regarded in many different cultures, especially in eastern religions, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. Its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.
The Meaning the Lotus Flower in Buddhism According to Buddhism, every person has the potential to become perfect and enlightened, and it is just a matter of time until each human reaches the light. Buddhists believe that it’s necessary to be reborn thousands of times, polishing one’s being through many incarnations, until one reaches nirvana – the highest state of consciousness that humans can access. So, the Buddha is sometimes depicted sitting on a Lotus flower, symbolizing the one who overcame the pain of that prevails in the material world and became enlightened, just like the Lotus flower which starts to grow in the dirty and muddy water but manages to surpass the water and produce a perfect flower. Many Hindu gods are depicted sitting or standing on a Lotus flower for the same reason.

The post 76112 Lotus Flower Group 2 first appeared on silkart.

3. Stitch Length – The smaller the stitching, the more precision of art
Long stitches are faster and easier, short stitches are more time consuming. Quality is directly impacted by the stitching. It is how the artist controls the overall imaging but also the interaction with light and shadows. Stitching can be so small you can not even determined it has been stitched. The smaller the stitching, the higher quality of art.

The post 86046 Irises-Van Gogh first appeared on silkart.

The plum blossom is a traditional Chinese famous flower. It is completely elegant and handsome and praised by poets and painters of ancient and modern times. It is also respected by the world for its ice muscle and bones, Ling Han Liuxiang as the essence of the nation. Scholars of lofty ideals love plums, and there are a lot of them who praise plums.
1、梅花不畏严寒，在众芳摇落之时, 与松、竹为友，凌岁寒而独开。而到了春天百花齐放之时，却无意与其他花卉争妍斗艳。这种在逆境中不屈不挠、自强不息，在顺境中不媚于俗、超然物外的崇高品格和高贵气节，正是古代知识分子所崇拜的 “君子” 人格的生动写照。
2、梅开五瓣，象征五福。梅具 “四德” 初生为“元”，是开始之本；开花为“亨”，意味着亨通顺利；结子为“利”，象征事业有成；成熟为“贞”，代表坚定贞洁。
3、此外，梅还是 “天下尤物” 是美的象征，始于南北朝的 “梅花妆” 在古代流行了一千多年。

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Pure silk thread is used to make handmade Silk Art . Silk thread cannot be used in machines because it breaks too easily. King Silk Art uses silk thread that can be divided into 16 individual strands, impossible with a machine. The thinner the thread, the more detail and definition are possible, making higher quality and more valuable handmade Silk Art.

Embroidery machines must use thicker thread, commonly polyester, rayon, or metallic. Artificial thread looks and feels artificial. Machines can not use divided thread, so the thickness of the thread used in machines is also completely uniform, flattening the final image.

The post 76154 Red Poppy Flower first appeared on silkart.

Does the art have credibility and long term value?

The right piece, we believe it will. Keep in mind this art form has been around for thousands of years and top end pieces sell in the hundred of thousands of dollars. See some of our grand masters.

BUT it is with hesitation I would accept any claim of long term value for any art. The only way to truly see if art has investment value is when it is resold. Find art because you love it, not because you expect it to be worth thousands of dollars in years to come.

One of the big reasons we believe Silk Art will increase in value is simply what is happening to the art. The way you get a 3000 year history to the art is when you are born you have no choice. In today’s China people have lots of choices. A major concern is, as China industrializes, the hand arts, especially one where you spend hour after hour after hour stitching, will disappear.

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