diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index c31f4556..6410c0a2 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ if BUILD_NVIDIA
 nvidia = nvidia.c nvidia.h
 endif
 
+if BUILD_IMLIB2
+imlib2 = imlib2.c imlib2.h
+endif
+
 conky_SOURCES = \
 	$(config_output)        \
 	$(config_cookie)        \
@@ -153,7 +157,8 @@ conky_SOURCES = \
 	text_object.h           \
 	text_object.c           \
 	algebra.h               \
-	algebra.c
+	algebra.c		\
+	$(imlib2)
 
 conky_LDFLAGS = \
 	$(PTHREAD_LIBS) \
@@ -209,7 +214,9 @@ EXTRA_DIST = \
 	ibm.c                   \
 	ibm.h                   \
 	sony.h                  \
-	users.c
+	users.c			\
+	imlib2.c		\
+	imlib2.h
 
 
 # vi:set ts=8 sw=8 noet ai nocindent syntax=automake:
diff --git a/src/conky.c b/src/conky.c
index 6116232c..081817fe 100644
--- a/src/conky.c
+++ b/src/conky.c
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 #include <X11/extensions/Xdamage.h>
 #endif
 #ifdef IMLIB2
-#include <Imlib2.h>
+#include "imlib2.h"
 #endif /* IMLIB2 */
 #endif /* X11 */
 #include <sys/types.h>
@@ -3557,33 +3557,13 @@ static void generate_text_internal(char *p, int p_max_size,
                                         strcpy(p, "0.0.0.0");
            }
 #endif /* __linux__ */
-
 #if defined(IMLIB2) && defined(X11)
 			OBJ(image) {
-				if (obj->a < 1) {
-					obj->a++;
-				} else {
-					Imlib_Image image, buffer;
-
-					image = imlib_load_image(obj->data.s);
-					if (image) {
-						int w, h;
-						imlib_context_set_image(image);
-
-						w = imlib_image_get_width();
-						h = imlib_image_get_height();
-						buffer = imlib_create_image(w, h);
-						imlib_context_set_image(buffer);
-						imlib_blend_image_onto_image(image, 0, 0, 0, w, h,
-							text_start_x, text_start_y, w, h);
-						imlib_render_image_on_drawable(text_start_x,
-							text_start_y);
-						imlib_free_image();
-					}
-				}
+				/* doesn't actually draw anything, just queues it omp.  the
+				 * image will get drawn after the X event loop */
+				cimlib_add_image(obj->data.s); 
 			}
 #endif /* IMLIB2 */
-
 			OBJ(eval) {
 				struct information *tmp_info;
 				struct text_object subroot, subroot2;
@@ -5952,6 +5932,9 @@ static int need_to_update;
 /* update_text() generates new text and clears old text area */
 static void update_text(void)
 {
+#ifdef IMLIB2
+	cimlib_cleanup();
+#endif /* IMLIB2 */
 	generate_text();
 #ifdef X11
 	if (output_methods & TO_X)
@@ -6009,6 +5992,10 @@ static void main_loop(void)
 		if (output_methods & TO_X) {
 			XFlush(display);
 
+#ifdef IMLIB2
+			cimlib_event_start();
+#endif /* IMLIB2 */
+
 			/* wait for X event or timeout */
 
 			if (!XPending(display)) {
@@ -6101,6 +6088,9 @@ static void main_loop(void)
 						r.width = ev.xexpose.width;
 						r.height = ev.xexpose.height;
 						XUnionRectWithRegion(&r, region, region);
+#ifdef IMLIB2
+						cimlib_event_expose(&ev);
+#endif /* IMLIB2 */
 						break;
 					}
 
@@ -6241,6 +6231,9 @@ static void main_loop(void)
 				}
 #endif
 				draw_stuff();
+#ifdef IMLIB2
+				cimlib_event_end(/*window.x, window.y, */0, 0, window.width, window.height);
+#endif /* IMLIB2 */
 				XDestroyRegion(region);
 				region = XCreateRegion();
 			}
@@ -6414,6 +6407,7 @@ static void clean_up(void)
 		XFreeGC(display, window.gc);
 		free_fonts();
 	}
+
 #endif /* X11 */
 
 	free_text_objects(&global_root_object);
@@ -7220,6 +7214,11 @@ static void load_config_file(const char *f)
 				stippled_borders = 4;
 			}
 		}
+		CONF("imlib_cache_size") {
+			if (value) {
+				cimlib_set_cache_size(atoi(value));
+			}
+		}
 #endif /* X11 */
 		CONF("temp1") {
 			ERR("temp1 configuration is obsolete, use ${i2c <i2c device here> "
diff --git a/src/x11.c b/src/x11.c
index 6ee46b30..40111d06 100644
--- a/src/x11.c
+++ b/src/x11.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 #include <X11/Xmd.h>
 #include <X11/Xutil.h>
 #ifdef IMLIB2
-#include <Imlib2.h>
+#include "imlib2.h"
 #endif /* IMLIB2 */
 
 #ifdef XFT
@@ -50,11 +50,6 @@ int use_xdbe;
 
 /* some basic X11 stuff */
 Display *display;
-#ifdef IMLIB2
-Visual  *visual;
-Colormap colourmap;
-int depth;
-#endif /* IMLIB2 */
 int display_width;
 int display_height;
 int screen;
@@ -473,23 +468,13 @@ void init_window(int own_window, int w, int h, int set_trans, int back_colour,
 	}
 #endif
 #ifdef IMLIB2
-	visual = DefaultVisual(display, DefaultScreen(display));
-	depth = DefaultDepth(display, DefaultScreen(display));
-	colourmap = DefaultColormap(display, DefaultScreen(display));
-	/* set our cache to 4MiB so it doesn't have to go hit the disk as long as */
-	/* the images we use use less than 4MiB of RAM (that is uncompressed) */
-	imlib_set_cache_size(4092 * 1024);
-	/* set the font cache to 512KiB - again to avoid re-loading */
-	imlib_set_font_cache_size(512 * 1024);
-	/* set the maximum number of colors to allocate for 8bpp and less to 128 */
-	imlib_set_color_usage(128);
-	/* dither for depths < 24bpp */
-	imlib_context_set_dither(1);
-	/* set the display , visual, colormap and drawable we are using */
-	imlib_context_set_display(display);
-	imlib_context_set_visual(visual);
-	imlib_context_set_colormap(colourmap);
-	imlib_context_set_drawable(window.drawable);
+	{
+		Visual *visual;
+		Colormap colourmap;
+		visual = DefaultVisual(display, DefaultScreen(display));
+		colourmap = DefaultColormap(display, DefaultScreen(display));
+		cimlib_init(display, window.drawable, visual, colourmap);
+	}
 #endif /* IMLIB2 */
 	XFlush(display);