Local Artists Design New Heal the Bay Tees

Are you drawn to good design? Love the beach? Well, we’ve got a great opportunity for you to proudly show you care. Heal the Bay has commissioned two of L.A.’s most celebrated graphic artists to power a new fashion-forward campaign announced just in time for Earth Day, this April 22.

Hoping to inspire a new generation of local ocean lovers, Tim Biskup and Florencio Zavala created limited-edition T-shirts that celebrate the diversity of greater L.A. and the wonders of its shorelines. Heal the Bay, which has a long history of collaborating with local artists like Catherine Opie and Ed Massey, asked Zavala and Biskup to conceive and donate original artwork that inspires people to take action to protect our local beaches.

Biskup, a Santa Monica native who employs vibrant color and playful forms in the pop-design genre, created a whimsical showcase of the many animals that lurk beneath the Bay and call it home. Zavala, a creative director who worked side by side with artist Shepard Fairey for nearly a decade, crafted an image that speaks to his long-standing interest in street culture and evokes Southern California’s rich Pan-American history.

“I practically lived in the water when I was a kid growing up in Malibu,” said Biskup. “Anyone who wants to make it a cleaner, nicer, safer place is alright in my book!” Added Zavala: “When Heal the Bay approached me recently about creating a limited-edition tee graphic, I couldn’t help but smile. As a South Florida native and now Angeleno, the sea and sand are defining elements of my identity. The ocean and everything beneath its surface is precious.”

The limited run of t-shirts is now available at ZJ Boarding House, the surf apparel and equipment retailer on Santa Monica’s Main Street, and at Channel Islands Scuba, while supplies last.