Praying for Kelp: Record-Breaking Sea Otter Artwork for Wildlife Conservation

Sea otters don’t usually dominate conservation art auctions. They’re endearing, yes, but rarely the headline act when big cats and great apes are in the room.

So when "Praying for Kelp" was selected as a Sketch for Survival finalist this year, I simply hoped it might hold its own among the lions, cheetah cubs, and orangutans that traditionally command the highest bids at auction.

What happened instead left me staring at my iPad in disbelief as I watched the final hours of the auction unfold.

Sketch for Survival, run by Explorers Against Extinction, has a ten-year history of linking art with frontline conservation. Over the years, certain patterns have emerged — particularly in the competition collection — with big cats consistently commanding the highest bids. Dave Porter’s stunning cheetah cubs held the long-standing record at £1,500.

Above the competition collection sits the Celebrity Sketch for Survival line-up, which has its own remarkable history — most notably Joni Mitchell’s jaguar sketch reaching an extraordinary £17,000 in 2021.

It’s one of the reasons the initiative has become such a respected annual event: artists, conservationists, and supporters all contributing to a shared purpose.

So when the bids for my small, sun-soaked sea otter quietly climbed past £1,500… and then kept going… I realised I was watching something truly special unfold.

The final hammer price landed at £5,500 — an incredible new record for the competition.

That moment will stay with me. There was something deeply moving about watching someone — somewhere — decide that this unsung hero of our ocean ecosystem deserved a place at the top of the list.

This year actually saw a surge in diversity o the highest-selling artworks overall — a Tasmanian devil, a red panda, and zebras — species that don’t usually find themselves near the top of the board. Seeing that shift felt quietly hopeful, as if the spotlight had widened just a little to include the animals whose stories often sit in the background.

I’m hugely grateful for the winning bidder’s generosity, of course, but also for what it signalled: a recognition of the quieter species holding ecosystems together while the world looks elsewhere.

"Praying for Kelp" was inspired by a trip to the wild coast of British Columbia, where I watched a lone sea otter drifting in the sun, paws folded as if in quiet prayer.

Sea otters are a keystone species: by eating sea urchins, they allow kelp forests — vital underwater carbon sinks — to survive. Once hunted to near-extinction, they remain endangered today.

This is what I wrote about her at the time:

“She floats as if weightless, yet carries the fate of a forest, a coastline, and a hidden world beneath the waves.

With her survival, a living sea breathes.”

Explorers Against Extinction have built something truly meaningful with Sketch for Survival — a place where art raises both funds and awareness for wildlife under pressure. I’m proud, and very humbled, that this little otter played her part in that story.

A huge thank you to all of the bidders — and to the winning bidder, a special thank you for your extraordinary generosity and for choosing her.