Interview
Meet Alimo
Sean Kesterson, aka Alimo, is an artist based on the West Coast, USA.
Alimo is best known for his curvy post-pop imagery, highly saturated colors, vibrant hand-drawn letters, and worlds inhabited by figures arranged on flat, tonal surfaces.
His line-work blends both drawing and design with inspiration from the ocean to the mountains. Alimo’s art can typically be seen in paintings, prints, murals, NFTs, and merchandise.
Alimo has been working as a professional artist and designer for over 10 years now. Over the years, he has collaborated with clients like Patagonia, Volcom, Apple, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., and the Portland Trail Blazers.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was introduced to art when I was a 5-year-old rug-rat. I used crayons to draw my imagination, inventing weird characters like dinosaurs or the weird alien fish I dreamed up. It blew my mind that whatever my imagination was creating, I could use crayons or any other tool to replicate it, whether that was on the hallway wall or on paper my parents supplied me with.
As an adult, I headed to art school to deep-dive into this idea of creating. I still didn’t understand it could be a career until I realized what graphic design was, and how computers can help you solve ideas. That journey pushed my creativity to another level, both conceptually and through using technology as a tool to communicate.
Post-college, I bought a one-way ticket to Australia and hitchhiked from country to country, ending up in Vietnam. I found work as a freelancer, illustrating manga characters and drawing up Vietnamese typography. My career basically started right there in the city I was in. It was monumental for me, and is the inspiration we see today.
Years later, back in the US, ‘Alimo’ truly blossomed. I quit all my freelance work, arranged a studio space with my pals, and really started to focus on my craft. Ever since, it’s been a fun whirlwind of baby steps, working on personal projects as well as commercial clients.
Recently, I jumped into the NFT world as an addition to my traditional mediums. I love how it empowers artists for their value, along with a new tool to explore and get creative with.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I want the world to get a glimpse into my weird 5-year-old kid self’s imagination and the experiences I’ve had traveling the world; for people to feel nostalgia for the past, present, and future. I want the viewer to feel as if they are inside my paintings, living and reliving a feeling they hope to have. On top of this, I want my work to feel approachable and relatable to both children and adults, all with the hope to inspire folks to get out and explore the world.
I have strong beliefs and ethos about the world around us. Most of my work is related to the environment that we surround ourselves with, whether that be the ocean or the mountains. Some of my work has direct connections to social or political issues, such as raising money for charities and causes tied to current events. If my work isn’t speaking on an issue at hand, I find myself having that transparent dialogue with my audience, letting them know where I stand and why. It’s always an open conversation to talk about things.”
“I strive for sustainability practices with my production line, such as removing plastic where I can and using recycled materials for packaging.
I also partner with an organization called Sea-Trees.org to help offset my emissions. For every t-shirt, print, or sweatshirt purchased, we plant one mangrove tree in Indonesia.”
Which current art world trends are you following?
“Art trends are a tough one. Right now, the internet is a big trend. We have a subconscious sponge whether we know it or not, consuming what we take in. That could be Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, you name it. Outside of the matrix, I find myself in libraries and museums, looking at the past for inspiration to break that cycle of copy and paste. I want to be at the forefront of my work, staying true to myself as opposed to following a trend.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“My work is a mixture of planning and improvisation. I carry my sketchbook everywhere I go so that when a project pops up, I have that library to pull from. That way, it relieves my stress and, in a way, gives me a plan.
That being said, so many project ideas I prep for are thrown out the window and improvised on the spot. Both planning and improvisation work for me. But I always feel more comfortable keeping that habit of drawing every day, so nothing feels out of whack when a project is presented.”
What process, materials, techniques, etc., do you use to create your artwork?
“My process is intertwined with my daily practice of carrying my sketchbook wherever I go to jot notes down and draw scribbly lines with my watercolors. I also take photos of my surroundings on my iPhone to freeze time. From there, wherever I’m at, I do a quick 10-15 minute study of my surroundings. I use the images I took as a reference to quickly compose a thought. This allows me to brain dump ideas and capture moments and expressions on location, similar to traditional photography. That way, the idea is on paper and I can comfortably move on to the next idea.
I treat my sketchbook like a camera, so each page is like a photo out of a roll. It’s a location and a piece of time to reflect on. That way, I have a library of resources to pull from, and a fun reminder of an experience I had. So when I begin the painting and digital work, I have a reference and real stories to work with.
Not all work in my book makes the cut for the polished version though. When I begin creating a larger piece, such as on canvas, a mural, or commercial work, I’ll scan elements from my book onto the computer, compose, and then redraw the tangible form. The result blends both design and art to create the final piece of work. To many, it looks like I shot a photo and redrew, but in fact, it’s a mixture of many scenarios to create a fantastical Alimo world.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My art is a reflection of myself. I am Alimo, and Alimo is me. It’s a piece of my brain on paper for the world to see. It feels incredibly vulnerable and truly rewarding. The fact that I can close my eyes and see weird shapes and translate that onto paper is mind-blowing.
Some folks don’t see shapes like other creatives do, and having that superpower is a way for us to share our experiences. It means so much to me that I’ve been able to harness that energy to share of myself with others. The fact that folks enjoy my work and get meaning out of it is icing on the cake. It makes me so happy.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“Honestly, I don’t have a favorite. I love them all. Each piece is a chapter in my life; a reflection of that location in time. All of them have so much meaning, and each one is an iteration of the previous one. If I had to choose, it would be my most recent piece ‘Swell Days’.
My favorite art is really in my sketchbook though. That raw, mindless drawing pulls out the weirdest angles and shapes. I have a hard time redrawing those expressions every time, as they are so organic.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I recently finished an amazing experience at The Art Camp down in Jacksonville, Florida. This was the third edition of The Art Camp hosted by Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach (Florida) from June 13th to 19th, 2022. 10 renowned artists were brought together to create and share their vision with the public. It was filled every day with the city watching us paint live, and we created lifelong relationships. This was the highlight of my career, bringing that much creativity under one building, painting for the week.
The LB Project was created and curated by @Lucas_Beaufort featuring: @terryurban, @killeracid, @dreyfus.art, @russpope, @hannaheddyart, @bb_bastidas, @wolfdoglives, @burger_babie, and me, @alimofun. You can check out the project here.
My most recent was SUGOI! An Art Show Tribute to Japanese Animation with Spoke Art in San Francisco. This was held on 9 July 2022.”
