iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Nghi Vo @nghivo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The SCARLET BALL RELEASES TOMORROW! And I'm on tour to promote it! Want to listen to me talk about the debutantes and demons of the Gilded Age? This is where ya do it!

Graphic in gray with red text: NGHI VO ON TOUR

Inset: small round portrait of Nghi Vo

Book Cover: The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo, featuring an Asian woman in a red dress holding a white skin mask as ghostly hands reach for her.

White text on a smoky gray background

NGHI VO
ON TOUR

OCT 6
HARVARD BOOK STORE
WITH CASSANDRA KHAW

OCT 7
DUNGEON BOOKS AT WELCOME TO CHINA TOWN
IN CONVERSATION WITH CINDY PHAM
NEW YORK, NY

OCT 13
BOSWELL BOOK COMANY
WITH JIM HIGGINS
MILWAUKEE, WI

OCT 17
SALT LAKE CITY BOOK FESTIVAL
SALT LAKE CITY, UT

OCT 23
ANDERSON’S BOOKSTORE
AT COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
IN CONVERSATION WITH KATEE ROBERT
NAPERVILLE, IL

NOV 7
TWIN CITIES BOOK FESTIVAL
ST. PAUL, MN

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This 1980s rinzu silk furisode exemplifies the revival of traditional hand-painted techniques during Japan's economic boom period, when there was renewed interest in luxury craftsmanship and cultural heritage. The garment presents a composition of camellia blossoms against flowing water motifs

The camellias, painted in subtle gradations of white and pale pink with darker undertones, demonstrate the refined brush techniques of traditional Japanese textile painting, while their placement creates a dynamic visual rhythm across the garment's surface.

The swirling blue water patterns that weave throughout the composition evoke classical Japanese artistic traditions, particularly the stylized wave and current motifs found in woodblock prints and decorative screens. These flowing elements suggest both literal water and the passage of time, creating a sense of movement that transforms the static garment into a kind of wearable landscape painting. The camellia itself carries deep cultural significance in Japanese aesthetics - symbolizing the ephemeral beauty of life, noble death, and refined love, making it particularly appropriate for formal occasions when a furisode would be worn.

The detail images reveal the sophisticated execution of the hand-painting technique, showing how individual brush strokes create dimensional petals that seem to float against a dreamy background. The soft color transitions and the visible texture of the rinzu silk weave create an almost impressionistic quality that recalls both traditional Japanese painting and contemporary artistic sensibilities. This furisode represents a synthesis of traditional craftsmanship with modern luxury consumption, embodying Japan's cultural confidence during its period of economic prosperity while maintaining deep connections to classical Japanese aesthetics of mono no aware - the poignant awareness of the impermanence of all things.

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Fisherman with Nets on the Sea of Japan, 1953. Photography by Fosco Maraini (1912–2004)

Suspended against a luminous, overcast sky, an intricate web of tarred fishing nets hangs like a monumental graphic tapestry, transforming a fishing vessel on the Sea of Japan into a quiet study in line, texture, and light. In this 1953 photograph by the Italian ethnologist and photographer Fosco Maraini (1912–2004), the dark silhouette of a young fisherman stands at the lower left, his hands engaged in the rhythmic, skilled labor of hauling or adjusting the rigging. Sweeping across the frame are heavy, undulating lead-lines anchored with woven glass floats, their bold, calligraphic curves intersecting delicate fields of translucent, knotted mesh.

Maraini’s mid-century photographic work in Japan—most famously realized in his celebrated studies of the Ama free-divers and isolated island communities along the Noto Peninsula—stands as a masterwork of mid-century humanistic ethnography. Living and traveling extensively across Japan during the pre-war and post-war eras, Maraini eschewed exoticism in favor of a deeply felt, participatory vision. This image captures the rugged visual poetry of the Nihonkai (Sea of Japan) coastal communities just prior to sweeping industrial modernization. The nets are rendered not merely as utilitarian tools of harvest, but as hand-crafted extensions of human endurance, woven from hemp, cordage, and glass to withstand the unyielding forces of the open sea.

Aesthetically, the image relies on the classical design principle of miegakure (hide-and-reveal), where the dense, overlapping layers of netting act as an atmospheric veil, filtering the sky and partially shrouding the human figure within his working environment. The stark contrast between the black cordage and the radiant, featureless sky harnesses the power of yohaku (active negative space), elevating functional maritime gear into expressive visual rhythms reminiscent of sweeping sumi-e ink brushwork.

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Maiko 舞妓 (by Traditional Clothing of our World)

Captured against a high-key, luminous white background, this striking monochrome studio photograph presents a sculptural portrait of two Kyoto maiko (apprentice geisha) standing in close, intimate symmetry. Positioned face-to-face as they lean toward one another with hands resting gently on shoulders, the composition transforms the formal conventions of traditional Japanese dress into an expressive study of silhouette, gesture, and living heritage. By stripping away all environmental distraction, the high-contrast lighting isolates the architectural structure of their attire, highlighting the subtle interplay between soft silk drapery, stiff brocade, and the poised posture demanded by classical karyūkai (flower and willow world) training.

Sartorially, both figures wear the full formal wardrobe of the young apprentice, centered around long, trailing hikizuri kimono with padded lower hems designed to sweep gracefully across tatami mats. The figure on the left wears a lighter garment decorated with scattered folding fan motifs (ōgi) across the sleeves and bodice, falling over an under-skirt pattern of delicate butterflies—a classical symbol of elegance, metamorphosis, and fleeting youth. Suspended behind her is the iconic darari no obi, a massive, un-folded sash woven with bold roundel crests (mon) that trails nearly to her heels. The figure on the right complements her in a dark, richly patterned hikizuri featuring cascading seasonal flora. Both balance precariously atop high, hollowed-out wooden clogs known as okobo (or pokkuri), fitted with soft fabric thongs over crisp, white split-toe tabi socks, their angled bases establishing a stable, geometric foundation beneath the sweeping verticality of the silk.

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Classic Japanese textile design emerges through a repeating pattern of paulownia motifs in deep purple against a lighter lavender background. All patterning appears through shibori, which creates a subtle textural effect that adds depth and sophistication to the overall design. 1926-1940, Japan

Base fabric: Fine silk crepe (kinsha) in plain weave

Size style: Naga-haori

Family crests (mon) present: none

Dimensions: 50 inches (127 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and 38 inches (97 cm) in height

Classic Japanese textile design emerges through a repeating pattern of paulownia motifs in deep purple against a lighter lavender background. All patterning appears through shibori, which creates a subtle textural effect that adds depth and sophistication to the overall design. The paulownia motifs are rendered in a bold, graphic style that demonstrates the Japanese aesthetic principle of simplification and abstraction. Each flower head is composed of several rounded petals or leaves arranged in a balanced, symmetrical composition, with accompanying foliage elements that add movement and organic flow to the pattern. The monochromatic purple color scheme is particularly noteworthy, as it exemplifies the Japanese appreciation for subtle gradations of a single color, known as "tone on tone" or "ton-sur-ton" in Western design terminology. This sophisticated use of color values predates similar approaches that became popular in Western Art Deco textiles of the 1920s and 1930s. The spacing and arrangement of the motifs shows careful attention to negative space, or "ma" in Japanese aesthetics. The flowers are distributed across the fabric in a seemingly random but carefully balanced pattern that creates visual interest while maintaining harmony and avoiding overcrowding. This approach to pattern design, which appears effortless yet is carefully calculated, is a hallmark of Japanese textile arts that would later influence Western modernist approaches to surface design.

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Erika Ishii @erikaishii.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Of course if you haven’t already, you can get it as part of The Guild’s kickstarter ⚔️♥️ www.kickstarter.com/projects/fel...

kickstarter.com

The Guild: Ren Faire'd

Help us celebrate The Guild's upcoming 20th anniversary by making the most epic renfaire movie of all time!

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

That....is likely to happen. Yes.

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Captured during the preparations for Toyama’s celebrated Owara Kaze no Bon (おわら風の盆) festival in Yatsuo, Shin Yanagisawa’s 1972 gelatin silver print distills a rare interlude of quiet stillness between traditional dance performances.

The image relies on a striking near-symmetrical structure. Four figures stand paired across a plank boardwalk, their bodies leaning gently against wooden guardrails toward a central axis. Behind them, vertical and horizontal beams frame a solitary, glowing lightbulb that casts soft highlights across the unpolished grain of the wood and the crisp folds of their cotton robes.

Textile & Regional Details

Amigasa (Braided Straw Hats): Steeply sloped and pulled low over the forehead, the deep amigasa obscure the dancers' faces entirely. This traditional anonymity is central to the festival’s aesthetic, shifting focus from personal identity to collective, fluid grace.

Yukata Design: The dancers wear matching summer yukata decorated with a delicate cross-hatched grid pattern. The stark white fabric creates a brilliant high-contrast field against the shadowy, dark-stained timber enclosure.

Styling & Accessories: The robes are bound with dark sashes, complemented by white tabi socks and dark-soled zōri sandals. A dark cloth tote bag bearing white handwritten calligraphy hangs shoulder-slung against the hip of the front-left dancer.

Through Yanagisawa's lens, an everyday waiting period transforms into an exercise in geometry, texture, and shadow. By isolating these four anonymous figures in a moment of quiet composure, the photograph captures the lingering, poetic atmosphere that defines Toyama’s folk heritage.

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Abigail Thorn @theabigailthorn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

rizzing @nicoleamaines.bsky.social up in Shakespearean English 😉 Stream THE PRINCE now at laservision.tv

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Mad Auntie Kristy @auntiekristy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Candid picture? No, I said take a cryptid picture of me. Blurry. Eyes glowing. Being in places I can't logically be.

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The Kimono Gallery @roger1952.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This haori features a striking yuzen-painted and metallic couched design. The large fan designs, rendered in rich blacks, cream, and contrasting shades of red, are reminiscent of the clean lines and stylized forms typical of Art Deco. 1930s, Japan.

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

hunh. looking to den of barjack for inspiration to defeat dysphoria.

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Progressive Politics NI @ppni.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

A new mural in Bangor by local artist Friz in collaboration with the Flip the Script girls group from YMCA North Down promoting the campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls 📷 Connie Egan

A mural showing someone wearing a jacket that says “Girls just wanna walk home”

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Ali Trotta @alwayscoffee.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Who wants a video of me reading a poem from launch? You’re in luck! This is a new poem—“Medusa Writes Her Own Story.” Links to buy here: www.alitrotta.com/recent-works

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Erika Ishii @erikaishii.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Possibly my favorite anime character I’ve ever cosplayed

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Chan @ LBX 411 @aluhnim.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

My piece for the “My Liege” Kickstarter book. www.kickstarter.com/projects/nov...

A drawing of a nobleman and a flag bearing knight looking at each other.

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Doubling the number of search results for "wholesome mecha"

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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

counterpoint: the dead should make it harder for me to speak ill of them

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The Poison Garden @thepoisongarden.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

My lily of the valley just finished blooming. Their scent is one of my favourites in the garden and I look forward to it every spring. Yes, lily of the valley is poisonous, deadly even. It contains toxic cardiac glycosides just like foxgloves.

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Viscera 🔞 @viscera.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

originally I wanted to do a DTIYS but I don't have the bandwidth right now for that... still wanted to draw a little thank u for 7k followers on bluesky! We kinda blew past it already but I appreciate it patreon wanted to see Cough the Sleep Paralysis demon for that!

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Viscera 🔞 @viscera.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

wait I can put all Shared Plot pages I have in one post now

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Teegan @teegan.dog · 06/06/2026

bisexual final boss

Bisexual flags everywhere on the person and also a huge bi flag display like a peacock

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Josh Johnson @joshjohnsoncomedy.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Comedy Band Camp starts in 1 week. Did you get your seats yet? If your city isn’t listed let me know where Friends.

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💀🐺🌱ArtofMaquenda🍄🩸 @artofmaquenda.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Bloodline The hungry ghosts rise through the roots, longing to be seen, to be felt, to ride the current of blood and memory. They howl through the body, wearing old faces like masks, not to possess, but to remind.

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Dr David S Anderson @dsaarchaeology.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

As an anthropologist, I endorse this message!

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Viscera 🔞 @viscera.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

www.patreon.com/posts/mermay... Mermay now on Patreon!

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Charm City Art Spice @rahnealexander.com · 26/04/2026

Mystery Date returns to the GutsyRadio.org stream this Tuesday, 7pm eastern!

open the door...
mystery date
a new internet radio show
with your djs madame trash heap and
charm city art spice
listen @ gutsyradio.org
tuesday 28 april 2026 7-9pm edt

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Vera Kober Art @vera-kober-art.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

My painting of white peonies

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Vanessa Gillings @vanessagillings.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Something a little different today -- a digital experiment! When I first found out about my paint allergy, I gave digital a try by painting on top of one of my color roughs from my last solo show in procreate. I didn't enjoy it enough to produce my finals this way, but it was fun to play around!

digital painting of a blonde-haired girl in a feather cloak hovering over a stone and holding her hand out to a crow as dark storm clouds roll in

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Joseph Lewczak (Truth Seeker) @truthseeker59.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

The oil painting "The Fall - Girl from Bicycle" by Michele Del Campo (2014) is the first in his series, depicting people after a sudden fall symbolizing emotional or life changes.

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

*throws up her hands and jams at a time when she otherwise might'nt*

Image from videogame Tails of Iron, of a troupe of bipedal rats, wearing mismatched striped tunics and feathered hats, playing on a recorder, a lute, and a marching drum. They are playing on a wooden stage under a hanging lantern, with heraldic banners behind them. The audience in the foreground is dark and out of focus.

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Liza Adamczewski aka the accidental ecologist @lizaadamczewski.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Today’s moment of calm The first bluebells are out which means it won’t be long now until the orange tip butterflies will be flitting about. Just a bit of sunshine needed to get everything moving along, that’s all we need.

An orange tip butterfly and three delicate bluebells painted against a gold leaf background on linen

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fluxxxxx @fluxxxxx.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

My first A3 format painting :) The first one that worked out. It is much harder to work on larger formats. #art #bskyart #painting #watercolor #SciArt #mountains #mist

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

.eeeeeee!. so darling~ Thanks, it's good to see her doing well!

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Ali Trotta @alwayscoffee.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

**gently grabs your face** Listen, the world is full of so many horrors--things out of our direct control. We do what we can, as we can. But there's no magick button labeled Fix This Now. It's important to reach toward joy. Take your meds. Have a snack. Make plans. Laugh. Look at the damn moon.

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Derek Sylvester @dereksylvester.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Artemis 2 The Blue Moon on Monday Digital Painting 42"x42" A salute to all of those who made the Artemis missions possible. This painting is free. Take a copy and please repost to spread this salute to space travel. #art #digitalart #popart #eastcoastkin #artshare #nasa #science #culture #scape

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Liza Adamczewski aka the accidental ecologist @lizaadamczewski.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

First bird of the day, a chorus of Wrens. Breakfast of toasted hot cross buns and dark dark chocolate. The sun is shining It’s going to be a lovely day. Happy Easter everyone

A golden triptych depicting hazel twigs bursting out of the centre panel. Through them pea vines grow with green pea pods, leaves and tendrils silhouette against the gold. In amongst the pea vines three wrens perch, two of whom are singing. Their songs are painted as little clouds of white breath in the early morning air that show up against the gold background.

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

This very afternoon I bought my very first cut glass bowl, and eating all the hard candy and stale spice drops I can stomach out of it is an Agenda Item. CANDY WHENEVER YES

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JanRock @janrockart.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"Back to the pit!" The Houndmaster. A Fem-Darkest Dungeon series [5/20] #art #fanart #fantasyart #darkestdungeon

Illustration of the Houndmaster from Darkest Dungeon, gender-bent. She is shown while taking a swing with her blackjack at the floating alien crystals from the Color of Madness, her Irish wolfhound following closely by her side. She is wearing a sleeveless tunic with a small cape, thigh-high socks and boots. Her rippling arms and meaty thighs are on full display. Idk she was supposed to be merely curvy and perhaps tomboyish but I just kept going.

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Internet Archive @archive.org · 04/04/2026

The housing crisis doesn't spare older adults. In fact, for many seniors it's getting worse. RSVP for a free screening of "No Place to Grow Old" and stay for a panel Q&A with community advocates. 📅 April 22 🕠 Doors 5:30 PM / 🕕 6 PM 📍 Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave, SF 🎟️ luma.com/lrtq1eg5

Poster for "No Place to Grow Old" documentary screening on April 22, 6pm. Shows an outdoor shelter made of tarps and salvaged materials. Free event with panel discussion hosted by League of Women Voters SF and other organizations.

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Charm City Art Spice @rahnealexander.com · 04/04/2026

this is why the movie GATTACA never made sense to me; whoever wrote that clearly never cleaned a ceiling fan

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Mere-marie @merekittykitty.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

*hunched over a battered canvas backpack, huffing inky peace* Miiiiiine.

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Indie Aut. Stuart Miller📖✍️🤓 Believe in yourself & your potential @stuartmiller1.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Alexa Meade, known for her #illusion driven work, she paints directly onto people & real environments to make them appear flat, like #2D paintings. Instead of #painting on a canvas, she turns reality itself into the surface, blending subjects & surroundings into a single visual plane @alexameadeart

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