Wender·Vista
Weno
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileFederated States of Micronesia
on the main island of Chuuk Lagoon

Weno

— — the lagoon that holds a sunken fleet.

— 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 capital of Chuuk State, sitting on an island inside the lagoon that swallowed a Japanese fleet in February 1944. Divers come from across the world for the wrecks. Above the water, breadfruit trees, taxi vans on a single ring road, an airstrip at the south end, and the green hills behind the town.

from the studio
Weno
— bring it home

Weno, 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 Weno

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

Weno is the administrative center of Chuuk State, one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia, which became a sovereign nation in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The island sits inside Chuuk Lagoon, a barrier-reef enclosure roughly 70 kilometres across, with Mt Tonaachaw rising to 229 metres at the north end. United Airlines runs the island-hopper route through Chuuk International Airport from Guam and Honolulu, the only scheduled air connections to the lagoon.

— the water

On 17-18 February 1944, the US Navy launched Operation Hailstone against the Japanese forward fleet anchorage at Chuuk. Around fifty ships and more than 250 aircraft were destroyed, and most of the hulls still rest on the lagoon floor between 10 and 60 metres down. The Fujikawa Maru, an aircraft ferry near Eten Island, is among the most-dived wrecks in the world. Chuuk Lagoon appears on UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list as an underwater cultural landscape, and dive permits are issued through the Chuuk Visitors Bureau.

— the visit

United States citizens travel visa-free under the Compact of Free Association; other nationalities receive a 30-day entry stamp on arrival. The dry season runs December through April, with humidity high all year. Dive operators require a daily permit and a local guide. The US dollar is the local currency. Chuukese and English are both official languages. The Blue Lagoon Resort on the east shore of Weno is the long-standing base for wreck-diving expeditions across the lagoon, and most visitors stay between three and seven nights.

— informed by Chuuk Visitors Bureau
— where
Federated States of Micronesia · Weno, Chuuk
— position
7.4500° N · 151.8500° 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.
4 km S
Tonoas (Dublon)
island in Chuuk Lagoon
6 km S
Eten Island
WWII airfield island
9 km S
Fefan
island in Chuuk Lagoon
14 km SE
Uman
island in Chuuk Lagoon
N
Weno
Tonoas (Dublon)
Eten Island
Fefan
Uman
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Weno is an island in Chuuk Lagoon and the capital of Chuuk State, one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. It lies roughly 1,000 kilometres southeast of Guam in the western Pacific.

The lagoon was Japan's main forward naval base in the Pacific. On 17-18 February 1944, the US Navy's Operation Hailstone sank around fifty ships and destroyed more than 250 aircraft anchored inside the reef.

Chuuk International Airport receives United Airlines' island-hopper route from Guam and Honolulu several times a week. There are no other scheduled commercial flights into the lagoon.

Chuukese and English are both official languages. Chuukese is an Austronesian language of the Trukic family, and English is used widely in government, schools, and the dive industry.

The FSM became a sovereign nation in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The compact provides US economic assistance and defence responsibility in exchange for strategic access.

Chuuk Lagoon is on UNESCO's tentative list as an underwater cultural landscape but is not yet formally inscribed. The submerged WWII fleet is the basis for the nomination.

— about the piece in your home

Weno carries strong meaning for FSM citizens, Peace Corps alumni, and wreck divers who have logged the lagoon. A Small or a Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is the usual choice.

The deep lagoon blues and reef greens read well in coastal-modern rooms, jewel-tone maximalist walls, and tropical-modern interiors. It also sits naturally beside other Pacific or dive-trophy pieces.

Yes. Coastal-modern moved away from beige driftwood several seasons ago toward saturated, specific water colours. Weno's lagoon palette belongs to that turn, alongside other deep-reef destinations in the atlas.

A single Large is the standard above a console or a reading chair. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural reads at the right scale; for a long wall, a 9-tile Mural carries the room.

Yes. Order it in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for wet rooms and vertical installations. The Glossy finish is meant for framed wall art and show-pieces, not for backsplashes or showers.

A microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based cleaners, no scouring pads. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish and will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every piece in WenderVista is made in our Knoxville, Tennessee studio. Reid Wender curates the atlas and the artwork is original to the studio. We do not licence imagery in or out.

— if this one stayed with you

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