Title: Tree of Wisdom
Artist: Emin Sinanyan
Client: SESeskiz Art Studio
Medium: Digital / Adobe Photoshop & Corel Painter
I saw a sketch of this bridge in Wainwrights guide 'Walks in Limestone Country' and so set out to find it. It's near Ribblehead, in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and crosses Thorns Gill. Its hidden away but only about 15 minutes walk from the road. There are turf covered limestone terraces to sit and enjoy the view. I climbed into the gorge to get the best shot. It must be about 100 years old (maybe more) and an absolute gem!! 
From the exhibit: Hand to Hand: Two Grand Masters of Suzhou Embroidery
At the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, through June 11, 2005
This exhibit contains thirty-two works from the studios of two grand masters of the art of Suzhou embroidery, which uses a hand-to-hand technique, in which an embroiderer places a hand on one side of the frame and another on the other side, working a needle back and forth and applying stitches in layers to create highly reflective fields of color and provide lifelike qualities to the subjects, whether landscapes, flowers or animals.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Huizong encouraged embroiderers to work with artists and calligraphers to copy their art onto silk fabric. For more than a thousand years, Suzhou embroiderers have standardized stitches and passed them down by word of mouth and from hand to hand; at the same time, embroiderers are encouraged to adopt new ideas into the craft. For example, one grand master, Gu Wenzia, introduced a translucent silk background to double-sided embroidery, with mirror images on reverse sides, allowing light to shine onto the threads from multiple directions, enhancing a sense of three-dimensionality.
Students at the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute (SERI, established in 1958) learn the theory of embroidery, develop proficiency in at least forty stitches, participate in oil painting and Chinese water color classes, sketch from life, visit museums and attend lectures by visiting artists. After eight to ten years of study, an accomplished embroiderer will begin to develop a personal style.
It is impossible to convey the impact of the technique and colors, either in these words or in the photos (the overhead track lighting causes distracting reflections), so if you’re in the Atlanta area before June 11, 2005, go to the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and see this exhibit for yourself, and be overwhelmed by the artistry.
