We here at Angus & Celeste are immense fans of Sea Shepherd and are humbled by their sacrifice. We are blown away by their bravery and unrelenting courage in the name of protecting our oceans and all their marvellous creatures.

With our oceans under threat, we believe that Sea Shepherd would have to be one of the most valuable environmental groups on the planet.

Shark finning, turtle egg poaching, unregulated fishing, dolphins in nets, illegal whaling, marine debris, coral reefs in trouble, there’s no doubt that a vigorous defence is required. Often Governments lack the funding or will to protect their own waters adequately, let alone oceans in other parts of the globe. So it falls to private groups such as Sea Shepherd to step in and step up.

We could talk about this crew all day. Sea Shepherd appeals to the child inside you that says, “NO! Why should these things happen?” Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, has dedicated his life to marine conservation, and this kind of heroic passion and commitment are in short supply these days. His crusade, along with the Sea Shepherd volunteers, has seen some unbelievable feats of bravery in battle.

We were approached this year (2019) by the head of fundraising for the Sea Shepherd’s Ocean Defence Tour in Brisbane, to create something for their annual auction. We didn’t need our arm twisted to help raise funds for such an amazing cause!

We made a selection of ceramic shapes, some survived in the kiln, others didn’t. We had a good time creating them.

The main piece was hand-built by Keir and was informed by ideas surrounding ‘connectedness.’

The world ocean is our communal swimming pool. Things that happen to our waters on the other side of the globe reverberate back to our shores eventually. The connected vase shape is also reminiscent of tubular corals. The vase’s playful dual openings are brought together with a soft sweeping curve like the bow of a boat rising and falling in the swell.

The plates we designed are made from a wonderfully tactile clay body that carries the quality, feel, and colour of beach sand.

The undersides of the plates are embossed with a pattern that represents plankton and miniature air bubbles. Blue was chosen to represent the water and also draw upon historical blue and white ceramics.

Asha’s blue and white painting features jellyfish, whales, hammerhead sharks, turtles, and tiny schools of fish. The powerful words of the Sea Shepherd mission statement ‘Defend, Conserve, Protect‘ are also included among the stylised waves that rise from the base of the form. The skull and crossbones of the Sea Shepherd logo excite us, as this distinct logo represents them so accurately for the hero sea pirates that they are!

To understand why fundraising for Sea Shepherd is so essential, please read the below article. The accompanying footage still gives us goosebumps!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-24/sea-shepherd-ship-crushed-between-whalers-and/11337158

A documentary about Sea Shepherd called Defend Conserve Protect was released this year. The trailer can be seen here: