Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Sunset As The Fall Approaches”?
Artist Statement
This "Sunset as the Fall Approaches" print is inspired by a beautiful but ominous sunset I photographed, along with the jarring juxtaposition of oil drilling platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara. In 1969 the largest (at the time) oil spill happened at the Union Oil platform near Santa Barbara. The environmental devastation was significant enough to spark a movement and several pieces of environmental regulation. In the Santa Barbara spill, the damage from oil was painfully visible in the dead seabirds, dolphins, and other wildlife. What was not directly visible and what scientists were only beginning to determine was the effects of burning oil, gas, and coal on global temperatures. There is a delicate balance that maintains the ecosystems of Earth's most beautiful spaces and habitats of all its creatures. I'd like to see those things not in their twilight but preserved for future generations. A portion of proceeds from this print will go to Greenpeace USA to support their efforts to combat climate change. Thanks for caring. –Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Sunset as the Fall Approaches. 24 x 18 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $65.
Summary
Sunset As The Fall Approaches is a 2023 Shepard Fairey screen print, 24 x 18 inches, on thick cream Speckletone paper, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered first edition of 550. The image is inspired by a sunset Fairey photographed alongside oil drilling platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara, referencing the major 1969 Union Oil platform spill that helped spark the environmental movement and new regulation. Fairey contrasts the visible damage of oil spills with the less visible effects of burning fossil fuels on global temperatures, urging that fragile ecosystems be preserved for future generations. A portion of proceeds benefits Greenpeace USA, and the print includes a Verisart digital certificate of authenticity.
Why It Matters
Sunset As The Fall Approaches grounds Fairey's climate advocacy in a specific historical event, the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that helped catalyze the modern environmental movement and early regulation. By juxtaposing a beautiful but ominous sunset with oil drilling platforms, the print stages the tension between natural beauty and industrial extraction, then links the visible harm of spills to the less visible threat of fossil-fuel-driven warming. That layered argument, moving from a documented disaster to ongoing climate risk, gives the work more depth than a simple landscape. It belongs to Fairey's dense 2023 cluster of Greenpeace-benefit environmental prints sharing the recycled Speckletone paper and Verisart certificate, making it a coherent part of his climate project. The Greenpeace proceeds tie reinforces the activist intent the source states. For collectors, it offers an accessible, atmospheric entry into his environmental series, combining a striking image with a concrete historical reference that situates the message in the lineage of American environmental regulation.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey's environmental work who appreciate an atmospheric, image-driven piece with a documented historical hook in the 1969 Santa Barbara spill. The landscape 24 x 18 format and sunset imagery give it broad decorative appeal that pairs well with his other climate prints in a thematic grouping. The recycled paper and Verisart certificate attract buyers who value provenance and production ethics, and the Greenpeace benefit suits those who want their purchase to support a cause. With an edition of 550 and an accessible original price, it is well suited to collectors building breadth across Fairey's environmental series rather than chasing scarcity.
Historical Context
Sunset As The Fall Approaches sits within Fairey's 2020s environmental activism and his concentrated 2023 run of climate prints. Dated April 2023 and published by Obey Giant, it shares the Speckletone recycled paper, Verisart certificate, and Greenpeace USA proceeds tie with companion releases. Its reference to the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, which the source notes helped spark a movement and environmental regulation, links Fairey's contemporary advocacy to a foundational moment in U.S. environmental history. Within his arc, the work reflects his shift from earlier OBEY and political-poster output toward issue-driven editorial printmaking, where image and historical reference combine to argue for climate action and the preservation of fragile ecosystems.
FAQ
What inspired this print?
It was inspired by a sunset Fairey photographed alongside oil drilling platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara, and it references the 1969 Union Oil platform spill near Santa Barbara, then the largest at the time, which helped spark the environmental movement and new regulation.
What is the message of the work?
Fairey contrasts the visible damage of oil spills, such as dead seabirds and dolphins, with the less visible effects of burning fossil fuels on global temperatures, urging that the delicate balance of Earth's ecosystems be preserved for future generations rather than left in their twilight.
What are the format and edition?
It is a 24 x 18 inch screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 550, with a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity. It was published by Obey Giant in 2023 at 65 dollars.
Does the print support a cause?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of proceeds goes to Greenpeace USA to support its efforts to combat climate change.
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.