Artist behind House of KIMO puts familiar streets on canvas ahead of October 1 clothing drop

Kimo, the artist behind House of KIMO, is putting familiar streets, sunsets, and side routes on canvas and on clothing, with an online drop planned for October 1.

House of KIMO brings together his photographs, drawings, and apparel. The work starts with places people already know, then shifts the color and the view so a familiar block looks a little different.

One painting, Bergenline, grew out of a sunset he kept seeing after years of working nearby: brick buildings, a blue facade, traffic, and evening light at the end of the street. He kept the natural perspective, made the sunset the focus, and worked the KIMO name into the street sign until it felt like part of the block.

Another, That One Turn, began when he took a different route home and found a view his usual path had hidden. He recast the scene as a quiet night, with warm streetlights and a purple Ferris wheel glowing in the distance.

Other pieces stay close to the same idea. Covered Dreams looks across a river toward a mall and Ferris wheel, holding the light and the water while the land around them keeps changing. Timeless Whisper remembers a city skyline from a daily walk to high school, with the neighborhood held close and the towers far away.

On his site he writes that KIMO started as a childhood nickname, after an ice cream brand with a blue teddy-bear mascot, and later became the name on his art and clothing.

The October 1 drop is online only. Tees carrying the paintings are listed from $25, with washed-cotton versions and a few other pieces coming with the launch. Readers can look through the artwork and the process books beneath each piece, then sign up for a reminder, at houseofkimo.com.