Secaucus artist Kimo puts Hudson County streets on canvas ahead of October 1 clothing drop

SECAUCUS, N.J. — A Secaucus artist who works under the name Kimo is putting Hudson County 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 here 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 the Hackensack River toward American Dream, holding the light, the water, and the Ferris wheel while the Meadowlands keep changing. Timeless Whisper remembers the New York skyline from a daily walk to high school, with the neighborhood held close and the towers far away.

Kimo, who grew up in Egypt and later in Clifton, now works from Secaucus. On his site he writes that KIMO started as a childhood nickname, after an Egyptian 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.

House of KIMO is based at 207 Franklin Street in Secaucus.