This is one of my first two artist-designed T-shirt featuring original artwork by yours truly, Leif Erik Johansen.

About the artwork

This design features the Flower Head Fish Rider, a surreal character originally created as part of my larger composition “Forest Bathing.” Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Shinrin-Yoku, the piece explores the quiet connection between humans, nature, and imagination. The rider moves effortlessly between land and water — a symbol of curiosity, balance, and the healing power of stepping outside the noise of modern life.

A potential recurring “Street Garden” character, this figure reflects my ongoing exploration of hybrid creatures and nature-infused storytelling — a symbol of the brand’s philosophy rooted in nature, imagination, and urban growth, evolving through this new wearable art project.

Details

Printed locally by Image 420 on a premium Next Level Apparel tee, this shirt is soft, lightweight, and form-fitting with a unisex cut designed for comfort and style.

• Original artwork by Leif Erik Johansen

• Next Level Apparel premium unisex tee

• Soft, lightweight fabric

• Locally printed in small batches

Not something you’ll find at Walmart, Amazon, or Target — this is wearable art for those who choose to be a little more unique.

Introducing Street Garden

This shirt marks the beginning of Street Garden — my new wearable art project exploring the intersection of nature, imagination, and urban expression. Inspired by the mother nature yet shaped by creative urban subculture, Street Garden is for those who feel equally at home outdoors as they do in the pulse of city life.

My work — and my life — has always straddled that line: a desire to be surrounded by nature, yet never far from my urban interests — music, graffiti, galleries, bookstores, indie venues, dive bars, and late-night coffee shops. From Atlanta, GA to Portland, OR, Vail, CO to Asheville, NC — places I’ve called home and places where creative communities live close to wild spaces and the reset that comes from stepping outside — this duality has shaped everything I make.

I created Street Garden to celebrate those two realities.