Wender·Vista
Isar
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileAustria
in the Karwendel range of northern Tyrol

Isar

— the colour the Karwendel limestone gives back to the water.

— 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
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— 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

“The Isar begins in the Hinterautal, a long limestone valley deep in the Karwendel Alps of Tyrol, and runs roughly twenty-two kilometers in Austria before crossing into Bavaria at Scharnitz. In its upper reach the water carries the milky turquoise of dissolved dolomite. The hiking trail that follows the bed is one of the quietest in the eastern Alps.

from the studio
Isar
— bring it home

Isar, 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 Isar

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

The Isar rises in the Hinterautal valley of the Karwendel range in Tyrol, at roughly 1,160 meters elevation, and flows northeast for about twenty-two kilometers inside Austria before entering Bavaria near the village of Scharnitz. The full river runs 295 kilometers in total, ending as a tributary of the Danube north of Munich. The Austrian headwaters lie inside Naturpark Karwendel, the largest nature park in the country, where motor traffic is restricted and the upper bed is reachable only on foot or by mountain bicycle.

— the colour

The upper Isar reads turquoise for the same reason Sorapis does. Fine particles of dolomitic limestone, ground by alpine erosion and held in suspension, scatter the shorter wavelengths of sunlight back to the eye. The intensity peaks in late spring and early summer, when meltwater volume is highest and the suspended load is fresh. By late autumn the bed runs clear and the colour fades toward green and grey, the same cycle that paints most glacier-fed rivers of the eastern Alps.

— informed by Wikipedia — Karwendel
— the silence

The Hinterautal sees almost no road traffic. The valley road from Scharnitz to the Kastenalm hut runs about thirteen kilometers and is closed to private cars, so the loudest sound most days is the river itself working through the gravel. Brown trout hold in the deeper pools. Chamois cross the slope above the path. The Karwendel rangers count fewer than a hundred summer walkers on most weekdays, even in July. Local Tyroleans send friends here who already think they've seen the Alps.

— informed by Naturpark Karwendel
— where
Austria · Scharnitz, Tyrol
— within
Naturpark Karwendel
— elevation
1,160 m · 3,806 ft
— position
47.3900° N · 11.4200° 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.
5 km N
Scharnitz
village
12 km N
Mittenwald
Bavarian town
30 km S
Innsbruck
alpine city
N
Isar
Scharnitz
Mittenwald
Innsbruck
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In the Hinterautal valley of the Karwendel range in Tyrol, Austria, at about 1,160 meters elevation. The official source is the Lafatscher Bach confluence near the Kastenalm hut.

About twenty-two of the river's 295 kilometers run inside Austria, from the source in the Hinterautal to the border crossing at Scharnitz, where the river enters Bavaria.

Suspended dolomitic limestone particles, ground by alpine erosion and carried in the meltwater, scatter shorter wavelengths of sunlight. The effect is strongest in late spring and early summer, when flow peaks.

Yes. The Austrian headwaters lie inside Naturpark Karwendel, the largest nature park in the country at about 727 square kilometers. Motor traffic is restricted along the upper valley road.

From the village of Scharnitz, walk or cycle the valley road toward the Kastenalm hut, roughly thirteen kilometers in. Private cars are not permitted; a few shuttle taxis serve the route.

From late May through July, after the snowmelt peak and before the late-summer clearing. By October the water runs largely transparent and the bed reads green-grey instead of turquoise.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to anyone who has walked the Karwendel or fishes the upper Isar. A Medium reads cleanly above a writing desk or a low bookshelf in a study.

The blue-green palette holds in Alpine-modern, Japandi, and the quieter end of Coastal-modern rooms. It also pairs well with light oak, raw linen, and pale plaster walls.

Yes. Biophilic interiors look for real water and real geology rather than generic blue prints, and a glacier-fed river fits the brief without slipping into stock-photo territory.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a longer wall or a wide console, a 4-tile Mural reads as one piece, and a 9-tile Mural takes a true statement wall.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for vertical installations in bathrooms, kitchens, or any wet area. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and easy to wipe clean.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so ordinary cleaning will not lift or fade it.

Yes. Every piece in the WenderVista atlas is created in our Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's eye. We do not license outside artwork or resell stock images.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.