Better Block just celebrated its fourth birthday and to commemorate the event Jason Roberts and his team staged Better Block Cuatro at the exact intersection where it all started -- Tyler and Seventh Street in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.


Inspired by local tire shops and hand-painted signage Lilco created the hand-rendered event identity. The posters and maps were both letterpress printed.


As a part of Better Block Cuatro artists were given empty store fronts and invited to create an art space, store or gallery. Lilco and artists Kael Alford and Marla Teyolia established Studio Fresca -- a print shop, photography studio and agua frescas bar.


Faced with not only filling an entire store but also wanting to create a buzz -- we contacted illustrator and lettering wizard Kyle Steed. Kyle designed the windows and with the help of Kim they hand-painted all the signage.


To learn more about Better Block and their mission please visit their site.

Las Colinas Urban Center Station


As artist/designer for the station, Owens created the station design concept, models, and drawings based on the history of Irving and Las Colinas with respect to the Carpenter vision. The design includes windscreen art, column cladding, paving, landscaping and connection to Los Colinas mono-rail.


Owens created artworks to scale in the form of hand drawn and computer generated vector graphics for the three large scale windscreen art panels. The dominant reference in the panels are: the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, native grasses of the blackland prairie, University of Dallas, and downtown Dallas; the Las Colinas Skyline and Lake Caroline; and the Las Colinas Area Personal Transit system completed in the 1980’s which will now connect to the DART Light Rail. The panels provide not only a reference to area history but are oriented in direction of travel.


“The Urban Center Station will be the first impression of Las Colinas for many visitors traveling by rail. It will also be the last stop for residents traveling home. In the words of Ben Carpenter, ‘We must use our imagination and at times be innovative. After all, we are merely the custodians of this property during its important stage of development.’ The Urban Center Station is an opportunity to make a lasting impression and create a place that offers a city view for years to come.” – Kim Owens

Lilco Studio was asked by Oil and Cotton to create art for the Neiman Marcus flaship store in downtown Dallas. 

Lily Smith-Kirkley, Joseph Aiken, and Kim Cadmus Owens created an arid landscape complete with engineered cardboard cacti. The windows promoted something other than high-end fashions or holiday panoramas. They showcased the work of artists concerned with local issues.

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