[3] He was a prominent 'zine artist, and his publication "Karmaboarder," a skateboarding and art zine he published in the early to late 1980s, helped shape what later became initial well-known works.

He moved to San Francisco, California's Mission District in 1989, where he became a member of the local art community, initially drawing cartoons on lampposts and bathroom walls using black Sharpies.

[5] In 1994, Johanson did one of the initial board graphic runs for a new San Francisco-based skateboard brand, Anti-Hero, which brought his art to a wider audience.

"[7][8] Johanson's works, involving expressing urban themes through found and recycled materials and graffiti, are a response to his suburban childhood.

The illustration from his portfolio Everything that happens is because of the sun, from 2002, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art is an example of how the artist marries text with cartoon images.