Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Paul Watson (Dark Blue)”?
Artist Statement
The mission of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is to defend ocean wildlife worldwide. Shepard did a portrait of founder Paul Watson that will be available as a print on 12/17/09 at Random. The print comes in two different colorway, Light Blue and Dark Blue. Both are Editions of 450, 18 x 24, Signed and Numbered by Shepard and Capt. Paul Watson. $55 each. A portion of the profits will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Summary
Paul Watson (Dark Blue) is a 2009 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, an edition of 450 published by Obey Giant. It is a portrait of Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which works to defend ocean wildlife worldwide. Released December 17, 2009 in two colorways (Dark Blue and Light Blue), the print was signed and numbered by both Shepard and Watson. A portion of the profits went to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The composition pairs Fairey's signature portrait treatment with a cool dark-blue palette, presenting Watson as an activist figure in the artist's propaganda-poster idiom.
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of Fairey's two recurring impulses: portraiture of figures he admires and direct support for activist causes. By depicting Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Fairey lends his graphic language to ocean-conservation advocacy, with a portion of profits directed to the organization. For collectors, the dual signature of both Fairey and Watson is meaningful: it ties the object to a named real-world activist and to a documented benefit relationship, distinguishing it from purely commercial editions. The Dark Blue colorway is one of two variants, which gives the title a small completist dimension for those who pursue colorway sets. Within Fairey's broader practice, the portrait reinforces his pattern of elevating individuals who embody resistance and conviction, rendering them in the same heroic poster vocabulary he applies to musicians and political figures. The environmental framing also connects it to a wider strand of climate- and nature-focused work in his catalog, making it a useful anchor for collectors building thematic groupings around conservation and cause-driven editions.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who value cause-driven and portrait works rather than purely decorative pieces. The Sea Shepherd connection and the benefit component attract buyers who care about provenance with a mission, and the dual signature by Fairey and Captain Paul Watson adds documentary weight. At 18 x 24 inches it is a manageable framing size that reads strongly on a wall in its cool dark-blue palette. Because it is one of two colorways, some collectors will pursue both Dark Blue and Light Blue as a pair. It fits naturally into collections organized around environmental themes, activist portraits, or Fairey's collaborative editions, and pairs well with his other portraits of admired figures.
Historical Context
Released in December 2009 through Obey Giant's Random sales channel, Paul Watson (Dark Blue) belongs to the productive late-2000s stretch when Fairey, fresh off the visibility of his 2008 Obama work, regularly produced benefit and portrait editions tied to specific causes and individuals. The Sea Shepherd subject places it within his ongoing engagement with environmental and conservation issues, while the format, an 18 x 24 signed and numbered screen print in an edition of 450, is typical of his Obey Giant releases of the period. The collaboration with a named activist, who co-signed the work, reflects Fairey's habit of partnering directly with the figures and organizations he champions rather than depicting them at a distance.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
The print is a portrait of Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an organization whose mission is to defend ocean wildlife worldwide. Shepard Fairey created the portrait to support the group, and a portion of the profits from the print went to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
What is the edition size and format?
Paul Watson (Dark Blue) is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 450, published by Obey Giant. It was released on December 17, 2009 and was signed and numbered by both Shepard Fairey and Captain Paul Watson at an original price of $55.
Are there other versions of this print?
Yes. The image was issued in two colorways, Dark Blue and Light Blue. Both were editions of 450 at 18 x 24 inches, each signed and numbered by Fairey and Watson. This listing is the Dark Blue version.
Does this print support a cause?
According to the source, a portion of the profits from the print went to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which works to defend ocean wildlife worldwide. The collaboration with founder Paul Watson, who co-signed the edition, ties the work directly to that conservation mission.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.