shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileAustralia

in tropical far north Queensland, on the Coral Sea

Cairns

— — where the rainforest meets the reef.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“Cairns sits on Trinity Inlet, where the Coral Sea reaches one of the last places on earth two World Heritage areas touch each other. The Great Barrier Reef begins just offshore. The Daintree, the oldest continuous rainforest on the planet, climbs the ranges to the north. The city itself is low and tropical, built on sugar and now on the boats that leave the marlin marina before dawn for the outer reef.

from the studio

— bring it home

Cairns, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Cairns

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Cairns sits on Trinity Inlet on the Coral Sea, in the tropical far north of Queensland, about 1,050 miles north of Brisbane by road. The city was founded in 1876 as a port for the Hodgkinson goldfield and grew on sugarcane and rail. It is the principal gateway to two adjoining UNESCO World Heritage areas — the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland, which includes the Daintree. The Cairns region holds about 165,000 residents and serves as the staging point for outer-reef dive boats and Kuranda Scenic Railway departures.

— informed by Wikipedia — Cairns, Tourism Tropical North Queensland

— the water

The Great Barrier Reef begins about thirty miles off Cairns and runs roughly 1,400 miles along the Queensland coast — the largest coral system on earth and visible from low orbit. Operators run day boats to outer-reef pontoons at sites including Hastings, Norman, and Moore Reef, and live-aboards to the Ribbon Reefs and Osprey. Reef water temperatures sit between 73 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit through the year. The Esplanade Lagoon, a free saltwater pool on the city foreshore, opened in 2003 in lieu of a swimmable beach.

— informed by Parks Australia — Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Wikipedia — Cairns Esplanade

— the season

Far north Queensland runs on two seasons, not four. The Dry, May to October, brings clear water, low humidity, and the easterly trade winds — the months most reef and Daintree visitors choose. The Wet, November to April, brings monsoon rain, stinger nets on the urban beaches against box jellyfish, and the chance of a tropical cyclone crossing the coast. Cyclone Jasper struck the region in December 2023 and caused the heaviest rainfall on record at the Cairns gauge. Crocodiles are present year-round in the mangroves.

— informed by Bureau of Meteorology — Cairns Climate, Wikipedia — Cyclone Jasper

— where

Australia · Cairns Regional Council, Queensland

— elevation

3 m · 10 ft

— position

-16.9203° S · 145.7710° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

90 km N

Daintree Rainforest

world heritage rainforest

25 km NW

Kuranda

rainforest village

27 km NE

Green Island

coral cay

70 km N

Port Douglas

coastal town

Cairns

Daintree Rainforest

Kuranda

Green Island

Port Douglas

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Cairns — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

On Trinity Inlet, on the Coral Sea coast of far north Queensland, Australia. The city is about 1,050 miles north of Brisbane by road and serves as the main gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree.

The Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland, which includes the Daintree Rainforest. Cairns is the principal staging point for travel into both.

The Dry season, May through October, brings clear reef water, low humidity, and steady trade winds. The Wet season, November to April, brings monsoon rain, stingers near the coast, and cyclone risk.

About thirty miles to the outer reef. Day boats run to pontoons at Hastings, Norman, and Moore Reef; live-aboards reach the Ribbon Reefs and Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.

The city itself fronts a mudflat, not a beach. The Esplanade Lagoon, a free saltwater pool opened in 2003, serves as the swimming option. Northern beaches at Trinity, Yorkeys Knob, and Palm Cove begin about ten miles north.

A rainforest village in the ranges above Cairns, reached by the Kuranda Scenic Railway (opened 1891) or the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Both options run through the Wet Tropics canopy.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The piece reads as a portrait of the rainforest-meets-reef edge that defines a Cairns trip, rather than generic tropical art. A Small or Medium suits a returned-traveller gift well.

The turquoise and forest-green palette sits comfortably in Coastal-modern, Tropical, and biophilic rooms with rattan, linen, and pale timbers. It plays against white walls and oak floors.

It fits. Biophilic design favours named ecosystems over abstract greenery, and a tile naming the actual reef-and-rainforest edge reads as more considered than generic palm-print art.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. For more presence above an eight-foot sofa, a 4-tile Mural extends the reef horizon; a 9-tile Mural anchors a larger room or a hallway.

Yes. The Dura Satin finish handles steam and splash and resists scratching; Matte does the same with no sheen. Either works well for a poolside cabana, a coastal bathroom, or a kitchen backsplash.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No ammonia-based glass cleaner on the Matte finish, and nothing abrasive on any finish. The colour lives in the ceramic surface.

Yes. Original to Wender Studios, curated by Reid Wender, produced in-house in Knoxville. Single studio, no licensing, no third-party stock imagery.

— if this one stayed with you