shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileKazakhstan

in northern Kazakhstan, on the Ishim River near the Russian border

Petropavl

— — the fortress town the railway pulls 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

— 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

“Capital of the North Kazakhstan Region, founded in 1752 as a Russian frontier fortress on the Ishim River. The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the city, the only major Kazakh stop on the Moscow–Vladivostok line. Winters run twenty below zero for weeks; the steppe arrives at the city's edge. The 19th-century cathedral and the old merchants' quarter still stand on the river bluff. — from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Petropavl, 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 Petropavl

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

Petropavl sits on the right bank of the Ishim River in northern Kazakhstan, about 60 kilometres south of the Russian border. It is the administrative capital of the North Kazakhstan Region, with a population of around 217,000. The city was founded in 1752 as the Russian fortress of Saint Peter, anchoring the Presnogorkovskaya defensive line on the Kazakh steppe. The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the city, which makes it the only major Kazakh stop on the main Moscow–Vladivostok route, with daily long-distance trains in both directions.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the season

The climate is sharply continental. January averages near minus 17 Celsius, with stretches below minus 30 not uncommon; July averages around 20. Snow cover lasts from early November into April. The Ishim freezes solid through the winter and the steppe wind moves unbroken across the plain. Summer is short and direct, with long northern light that holds the river well past nine in the evening. The contrast between July's wheat fields and February's white silence is the city's defining cycle.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the stone

The old town holds the 1813 Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the city's namesake, on the river bluff above the original fortress site. The 19th-century merchants' quarter along Constitution Street keeps its low brick and wooden facades, a record of the caravan trade between the steppe and Siberia. The city museum on Internationalnaya Street occupies a 1910 merchant's house. Most of the Soviet-era construction sits east of the old town, on the grid laid out in the 1950s for the railway workers and the agricultural ministries.

— informed by Wikipedia

— where

Kazakhstan · Petropavl, North Kazakhstan Region

— elevation

140 m · 459 ft

— position

54.8667° N · 69.1500° 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.

at the lake

Ishim River

river

Petropavl

Ishim River

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

In northern Kazakhstan, on the Ishim River, about 60 kilometres south of the Russian border. It is the capital of the North Kazakhstan Region, with a population around 217,000.

The line built in the 1890s cut south of the original Russian route to avoid difficult terrain, passing through the existing fortress town. Petropavl is the main Kazakh stop on the Moscow–Vladivostok route.

In 1752, as the Russian fortress of Saint Peter, part of the Presnogorkovskaya defensive line anchoring the southern edge of the Russian empire on the Kazakh steppe.

Russian is dominant in daily use given the northern location and the railway's history; Kazakh is the state language. Most signage and official business is bilingual across both languages.

Sharply continental. January averages minus 17 Celsius, with regular drops below minus 30; July averages around 20. Snow cover lasts from November into April.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. For someone who grew up in Petropavl or rode the Moscow–Vladivostok line through it, the river bluff and the old cathedral are immediately recognisable. A Small or Medium with a note ships well.

The cold-palette stained-glass treatment suits Scandinavian, Library Traditional, and quiet Minimalist interiors. The piece reads as a winter window rather than a poster.

A single Large for most sofas; a 4-tile Mural for wider walls; the Medium above a console or entry table. The river-and-cathedral composition reads well at the Medium size.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface beneath a sealed protective layer, so steam and splash do not affect it.

A microfibre cloth with plain water. Avoid citrus and ammonia cleaners, which can dull the surface across years of use.

— if this one stayed with you