Wender·Vista
Grímsey
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIceland
forty kilometres off Iceland's north coast, the only part of the country to cross the Arctic Circle

Grímsey

— — a small island the Arctic Circle still runs through.

— 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

“A five-square-kilometre island in the Greenland Sea, basalt cliffs on the east side, a small harbour at Sandvík on the west, and a population that has lately been counted in the dozens. Puffins outnumber people through the summer. The Arctic Circle line is marked with a concrete sphere that gets moved a little north each year as the circle itself drifts. from the studio

from the studio
Grímsey
— bring it home

Grímsey, 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 Grímsey

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

Grímsey is a small island roughly 40 kilometres off the north coast of Iceland, in the Greenland Sea, and the only inhabited Icelandic territory that crosses the Arctic Circle. It covers about 5.3 square kilometres and is administered as part of Akureyri municipality. The settlement at Sandvík on the west side has a harbour, a church built in 1867, an airstrip, a school, and a year-round population that has lately been counted at around 20 to 60.

— informed by Wikipedia, Visit Iceland
— the air

From May to August the eastern cliffs hold one of the largest seabird colonies in Iceland, with puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, and Arctic terns all nesting in close range of the marked walking path. Under the midnight sun, late June gives roughly twenty-four hours of usable light. In midwinter the sun does not fully clear the horizon for several days around the December solstice, and the aurora becomes the dominant sky.

— informed by Birdlife Iceland
— the visit

Sæfari, the Samskip ferry, runs the three-hour crossing from Dalvík several times a week, and Norlandair flies a 25-minute scheduled service from Akureyri. The Arctic Circle line is marked by Orbis et Globus, a nine-tonne concrete sphere installed in 2017 by Kristinn E. Hrafnsson and Studio Granda, repositioned annually as the Arctic Circle drifts roughly 14 metres north each year. There is one guesthouse, one café-restaurant, and no rental cars; everything is walkable.

— informed by Samskip Sæfari
— where
Iceland · Akureyri municipality, Norðurland eystra
— elevation
105 m · 344 ft
— position
66.5394° N · 18.0125° 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.
65 km S
Akureyri
north-coast city
41 km S
Dalvík
ferry port
70 km SE
Húsavík
whale-watching town
55 km SW
Siglufjörður
former herring port
N
Grímsey
Akureyri
Dalvík
Húsavík
Siglufjörður
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Grímsey is an Icelandic island roughly 40 kilometres off the north coast in the Greenland Sea. It is the only inhabited part of Iceland that crosses the Arctic Circle, administered as part of Akureyri municipality.

Two routes serve the island. The Sæfari ferry sails the three-hour crossing from Dalvík several days a week. Norlandair operates a scheduled 25-minute flight from Akureyri airport, weather permitting.

The year-round population has lately been counted at roughly 20 to 60 residents, concentrated around the harbour settlement of Sandvík on the west side. Summer brings additional seasonal workers and visitors.

Orbis et Globus is a nine-tonne concrete sphere by Kristinn E. Hrafnsson and Studio Granda, installed in 2017 to mark the Arctic Circle. It is moved roughly 14 metres each year as the circle itself drifts north.

From May to August the cliffs hold puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, and Arctic terns. The puffin colony is the most visited, with a marked path running close to the burrows along the east-side cliffs.

Yes. From early June through mid-July the sun does not set below the horizon. Around the December solstice there are several days when the sun does not fully rise, and the aurora becomes the dominant sky.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for anyone connected to north Iceland. Grímsey is a quietly meaningful place for Icelanders, less a tourist landmark than a marker of edge and weather. A Small or Medium with a studio note has worked.

The basalt-and-sky palette sits naturally in Scandinavian, Nordic-modern, and quiet coastal-cool rooms. It also reads well in a study with bleached oak, plaster walls, and natural linen.

Yes. The cold-water and basalt tones align cleanly with the current Nordic-minimal and slow-coastal directions in interiors. Sits well alongside ceramics, wool, and unfinished wood.

Above a standard sofa, the Large at roughly 24 inches reads correctly across the room. For a wider wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the horizon. Above a console, the Medium holds the composition.

Yes, ordered in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam and humidity. The Glossy finish is best kept to dry framed-wall installations.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. For anything stickier, a damp cloth with a drop of mild dish soap. Avoid abrasives, ammonia-based glass sprays, and bleach-based cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to the studio, curated by Reid Wender, hand-finished in Knoxville. The piece is not licensed or sold through any other channel.

— 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.