Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “This New Wave Is A Little Slick For My Taste (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
I enjoy doing illustrations of water with its hypnotic ripples and reflections. There’s oil in this water, which mixes ok in an illustration, but not so well in real life. I want future generations to inhabit a livable planet, so I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from this print to the NRDC Natural Resources Defense Council. They are concerned with changing policy to achieve environmental and energy solutions, not just putting a band-aid on existing problems. Check them out at nrdc.org -Shepard 37 inches x 48.5 inches. Large Format Screen Print. Signed and Numbered edition of 60. $750 includes Certificate of Authenticity. Release date 3/20/2014 at 10am and 4pm in Large Format Prints.
Summary
This New Wave Is A Little Slick For My Taste is a 2014 large-format screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed and numbered first edition of 60. Measuring 37 x 48.5 inches, it depicts Fairey's stylized illustration of water with rippling reflections, into which oil has been introduced as a deliberate visual metaphor for pollution. The image pairs Fairey's decorative, pattern-driven aesthetic with an environmental message. According to the source, the print sold for $750 including a Certificate of Authenticity, and a portion of proceeds was directed to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of Fairey's decorative instincts and his environmental advocacy, which makes it a meaningful entry in his climate-focused output. The source description is candid about the concept: Fairey enjoys illustrating water's hypnotic ripples, then disrupts that beauty by adding oil, contrasting how oil mixes acceptably in an illustration but disastrously in reality. That tension between aesthetic pleasure and ecological warning is the work's core idea. Its large format, at 37 x 48.5 inches, gives it real wall presence and amplifies the pattern work, qualities collectors prize in Fairey's bigger pieces. The tiny edition of 60 makes it considerably scarcer than his standard runs of several hundred, raising its collector profile within the environmental theme. The stated donation of a portion of proceeds to the NRDC, an organization the source notes is focused on changing policy rather than applying band-aids, situates the print within Fairey's consistent practice of pairing art releases with cause-based giving. For collectors building an environmental or large-format set, it is a focused, message-driven anchor piece rather than a casual decorative buy.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who want statement-scale Fairey works and to those assembling a thematic environmental or climate group. The 37 x 48.5 inch dimensions make it a centerpiece rather than a fill piece, well suited to large walls where the rippling water pattern can be read at a distance. The small edition of 60 will attract buyers who value scarcity within Fairey's catalog, since most of his prints run far larger. Its layered meaning, beautiful surface concealing an oil-spill warning, gives display owners a talking point and rewards close viewing. It fits naturally alongside other Fairey water and climate prints, and the NRDC donation noted in the source adds appeal for mission-minded collectors who like art tied to causes.
Historical Context
Released March 20, 2014, this print belongs to Fairey's mature environmental period, when climate and energy themes became a recurring pillar of his Obey Giant releases alongside his political work. By this point Fairey had long used print drops to fund causes, and here the proceeds supported the NRDC's policy-focused environmental work. The large-format treatment connects it to his ongoing interest in scaling up imagery for greater visual and public impact, echoing his mural and street practice. Thematically it relates to other water- and oil-centered works in his catalog and anticipates later climate releases. Within his arc, it exemplifies how Fairey folds ecological messaging into decorative, pattern-rich compositions rather than relying on overt protest graphics.
FAQ
What is the edition size of this print?
Per the source, This New Wave Is A Little Slick For My Taste (Large Format) is a signed and numbered first edition of 60. That is a notably small run compared with Fairey's typical screen prints, which often number in the several hundreds, making this large-format release relatively scarce within his catalog.
How large is the print?
The source lists the dimensions as 37 x 48.5 inches, making this a large-format screen print. Its scale gives it strong wall presence and lets the rippling water pattern read clearly from a distance, positioning it as a centerpiece work rather than a smaller standard-format print.
What does the imagery represent?
Fairey describes illustrating water with its hypnotic ripples and reflections, then adding oil to the scene. As he notes, oil mixes acceptably in an illustration but not in real life, so the beautiful surface carries an environmental warning about pollution and the desire for future generations to inhabit a livable planet.
Was this print connected to a cause?
Yes. According to the source, Fairey stated he would donate a portion of the proceeds to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), an organization he describes as focused on changing policy to achieve environmental and energy solutions rather than applying temporary fixes.
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.