Wender·Vista
Cotopaxi volcano
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileEcuador
south of Quito, on the spine of the Andes

Cotopaxi volcano

— — a perfect cone, snow on its shoulders.

— 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

“One of the highest active volcanoes on the planet, and the shape every child draws when asked to draw a mountain. The summit holds an ice cap above 5,000 metres, the slopes drop into páramo grassland, and the road through the national park comes in from the Panamericana about two hours south of Quito. On clear mornings the cone shows itself whole, then the cloud closes back over. — from the studio

from the studio
Cotopaxi volcano
— bring it home

Cotopaxi volcano, 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 Cotopaxi volcano

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

Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Eastern Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, about 50 kilometres south of Quito. The summit reaches 5,897 metres, making it one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. It sits inside Cotopaxi National Park, established in 1975, which spans roughly 33,000 hectares of páramo grassland, pine forest, and lava flow. The most recent eruptive sequence ran from August 2015 into early 2016, followed by renewed activity in 2022 and 2023 monitored by Ecuador's Instituto Geofísico.

— the air

Above 4,500 metres the air thins fast and the weather turns by the hour. The José Ribas refuge sits at 4,864 metres on the northern flank, reached on foot from a parking area at about 4,500 metres. Most climbers leave the refuge near midnight to reach the crater rim by sunrise, before the afternoon cloud builds. The páramo below holds wild horses, Andean lapwings, and the cushion plants that survive the cold and the wind at this elevation.

— informed by Wikipedia — Cotopaxi
— the visit

The park's main entrance, Control Caspi, lies off the Panamericana about two hours south of Quito by car. Day visitors can drive to the lower parking and walk the trail toward the refuge; the summit climb is a guided two-day outing requiring crampons and ice axe. Access is gated when the Instituto Geofísico raises the alert level, as it did during the 2015 and 2022-2023 eruptive phases. The clearest views generally fall in the June-to-September dry season.

— where
Ecuador · Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador
— within
Cotopaxi National Park
— elevation
5,897 m · 19,347 ft
— position
-0.6836° S · 78.4378° W
— 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.
50 km N
Quito
capital city
30 km S
Latacunga
provincial capital
110 km SW
Chimborazo
volcano
N
Cotopaxi volcano
Quito
Latacunga
Chimborazo
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Cotopaxi rises to 5,897 metres above sea level, about 19,347 feet. That places it among the highest active volcanoes anywhere, and the second-highest summit in Ecuador after Chimborazo.

Yes. Ecuador's Instituto Geofísico tracks it as an active stratovolcano. Eruptive activity ran from August 2015 into 2016, with renewed ash emissions and seismic activity reported again in 2022 and 2023.

The park sits in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, about 50 kilometres south of Quito and 30 kilometres north of Latacunga. The main entrance, Control Caspi, opens off the Panamericana highway.

Cotopaxi National Park was created in 1975 and covers roughly 33,000 hectares of high-altitude páramo, pine plantation, and old lava flow on the northern and western flanks of the volcano.

Yes, with a licensed guide and basic glacier gear. The standard route starts from the José Ribas refuge at 4,864 metres and reaches the crater rim near sunrise. The climb is closed during high alert phases.

The dry season runs roughly June through September and gives the most stable mornings. Clouds usually build by early afternoon throughout the year, so first-light views are the most reliable.

— about the piece in your home

It has worked well for customers with Ecuadorian roots or who have climbed in the Andes. Cotopaxi is on the national shield and reads instantly to anyone from the country. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The cool blues of the ice cap and the warm earth tones of the páramo sit easily in mountain-modern, Andean textile, and minimalist alpine rooms. It also holds its own as a single anchor piece in an otherwise quiet study.

Yes. Volcano and glacier imagery has stayed steady in alpine-modern and biophilic-leaning rooms. The Voynich treatment keeps the piece from reading as a poster, which is what dates most mountain art.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads as the focal piece. For a wider wall above a console or bed, a 4-tile Mural carries the composition; a 9-tile Mural suits a primary feature wall.

Yes, on the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist humidity and scratches and suit a backsplash or a bathroom feature wall. The Glossy finish is for framed display, not wet zones.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles everyday dust. For a kitchen install, a mild soap solution is fine. No abrasive pads, no bleach, no scouring powders on any of the three finishes.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated by Reid Wender and produced in-house at the Knoxville studio. The studio does not license artwork from outside artists or stock libraries.

— 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.