Wender·Vista
Great Geysir
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIceland
in the Haukadalur valley, northeast of Reykjavík

Great Geysir

— — the steam the ground remembers.

— 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 geyser that named the word. The Great Geysir sits quiet most days now, a milky pool above a vent that gave English the noun for every hot spring that throws water at the sky. A short walk away, Strokkur takes the work, lifting every few minutes. The valley smells of sulphur and wet stone.

from the studio
Great Geysir
— bring it home

Great Geysir, 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 Great Geysir

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 Great Geysir sits in Haukadalur, a geothermal valley about 100 kilometres northeast of Reykjavík along the Golden Circle route through southwest Iceland. The site is one of the original references in the European record for spouting hot springs. The Icelandic verb geysa, to gush, became the English noun for every one of them. Eruptions of the Great Geysir itself have been intermittent for over a century. Nearby Strokkur, in the same field, lifts a column of water every six to ten minutes.

— the water

The water that surfaces in Haukadalur arrives near boiling. The vent of the Great Geysir holds a milky pool above a silica-lined throat; pressure builds and occasionally throws a short column. Strokkur, about fifty metres away, is the reliable one, with eruptions reaching twenty to thirty metres. The mineral content of the field is dominated by silica, sulphur compounds, and dissolved iron, which over centuries have built the pale sinter terraces that pave the walking paths between vents. The smell of sulphur carries across the path.

— informed by Wikipedia — Strokkur
— the visit

The geothermal field stays open without a gate or admission fee; a small visitor centre across the road sells coffee and Icelandic wool. From Reykjavík the drive runs about ninety minutes along Route 35, usually combined with Þingvellir National Park and Gullfoss waterfall on the standard Golden Circle loop. Winter visits are possible but the path ices over and the surrounding hills are dark by mid-afternoon. June through August gives the longest daylight, the warmest steam against cold air, and the most reliable Strokkur eruptions for photography.

— where
Iceland · Bláskógabyggð, Suðurland
— elevation
105 m · 344 ft
— position
64.3104° N · 20.3024° 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.
at the lake
Strokkur
geyser
10 km E
Gullfoss
waterfall
60 km W
Þingvellir National Park
national park
10 km S
Faxi Waterfall
waterfall
N
Great Geysir
Strokkur
Gullfoss
Þingvellir National Park
Faxi Waterfall
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The Great Geysir is the spouting hot spring in Haukadalur, southwest Iceland, that gave the English word geyser its name. It has been mostly dormant for decades, with occasional minor eruptions.

Rarely. The original geyser has been largely quiet since the late twentieth century, with eruptions occasionally triggered by earthquakes. Most visitors see Strokkur instead, which erupts every six to ten minutes.

Strokkur sits about fifty metres from the Great Geysir in the same geothermal field. It is the active spouter most photographs show, lifting a column twenty to thirty metres on average.

The Geysir field is roughly 100 kilometres northeast of Reykjavík along Route 35. Most visitors come as part of the Golden Circle loop with Þingvellir and Gullfoss, about a ninety-minute drive each way.

June through August offers the longest daylight and the strongest contrast between steam and cold air. Winter visits work but the path ices and daylight ends by mid-afternoon.

Yes. The geothermal field has no gate and no admission fee. A small visitor centre, café, and shop sit across the road and operate on standard daytime hours.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for travellers who have driven the Golden Circle. The Keepsake or a Small with a handwritten studio note suits someone who has stood at the steaming vent.

The pale steam and dark basalt palette settles into Scandinavian Minimalist, Nordic Modern, and Mountain Modern rooms. It also lifts a quiet wall in a Japandi entry without crowding it.

Yes. Pale ceramic surfaces with cool grey-blue accents continue to anchor Nordic Modern rooms. A Medium above a light oak console reads as restraint, not decoration.

A single Large reads well above most consoles. Above a full sofa, a four-tile Mural holds the wall; a nine-tile Mural suits long walls in open-plan rooms.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratches and steam. The Glossy finish is intended for framed wall pieces rather than wet rooms or backsplash installations.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish and does not lift with normal wiping. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based sprays.

Yes. Reid Wender curates every WenderVista piece in-house at the Knoxville studio. The artwork is not licensed from other artists and is not reproduced outside our line.

— 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.