Wender·Vista
Irrawaddy River
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMyanmar
the long axis of Myanmar, north to south

Irrawaddy River

— — a river the country was built along.

— 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 Irrawaddy gathers from the N'Mai and Mali in the Kachin hills and runs roughly 2,170 kilometres south through Mandalay, past the temple plain at Bagan, and out into a nine-mouthed delta on the Andaman Sea. Bagan's stupas sit along the eastern bank in their thousands. Near Mandalay a small population of Irrawaddy dolphins still works the river beside cast-net fishermen — a cooperation observed nowhere else in the world. — from the studio

from the studio
Irrawaddy River
— bring it home

Irrawaddy River, 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 Irrawaddy River

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 Irrawaddy, called the Ayeyarwady in Burmese, is the principal river of Myanmar. It rises in Kachin State at the confluence of the N'Mai and Mali rivers and flows roughly 2,170 kilometres south to the Andaman Sea, draining a basin of about 404,200 square kilometres — roughly sixty percent of the country's land area. Major cities along its banks include Bhamo, Mandalay, Pakokku, Magway, and Pyay, and the river divides into a nine-distributary delta below Hinthada before reaching the sea south of Yangon.

— informed by Wikipedia, WWF
— the water

The river is navigable for nearly 1,300 kilometres, from the delta upstream to Bhamo, and was the spine of internal trade for centuries before the railway. Between Mandalay and Mingun, a small remnant population of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, still works the river beside cast-net fishermen in a cooperative fishing practice documented since the nineteenth century and recorded nowhere else. WWF estimated fewer than 80 dolphins in the upper river segment in recent surveys, and the species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

— informed by WWF
— the stone

On the eastern bank between Nyaung-U and Bagan stand the surviving brick stupas of the Pagan kingdom, built mostly between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries — more than 2,200 monuments across a forty-square-kilometre plain. UNESCO inscribed the Bagan archaeological zone in 2019. Downstream the river passes the colonial-era city of Pyay, the site of the ancient Pyu capital of Sri Ksetra, and a long agricultural plain that produces much of Myanmar's rice. The slow, brown water carries silt that built the entire delta.

— where
Myanmar · Kachin, Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Ayeyarwady regions
— position
19.0000° N · 95.2000° 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
Bagan
ancient capital
at the lake
Mandalay
city
30 km delta E
Yangon
city
N
Irrawaddy River
Bagan
Mandalay
Yangon
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The Irrawaddy rises in Kachin State at the confluence of the N'Mai and Mali rivers in northern Myanmar and flows roughly 2,170 kilometres south through Mandalay and Bagan to a nine-mouthed delta on the Andaman Sea.

The river is about 2,170 kilometres long, and its drainage basin covers roughly 404,200 square kilometres — close to sixty percent of Myanmar's land area. It is the country's longest and most important waterway.

The Burmese name is Ayeyarwady. Irrawaddy is the older Anglicised form still common in English-language sources. The river gives its name to Ayeyarwady Region, the country's delta administrative division.

Orcaella brevirostris is a freshwater and coastal dolphin found across South and Southeast Asia. The Mandalay-to-Mingun stretch of the river holds a small remnant population that cooperatively fishes with cast-net fishermen, a practice recorded nowhere else.

Yes. The Irrawaddy is navigable for roughly 1,300 kilometres from the delta upstream to Bhamo in Kachin State. It was the principal artery of internal trade and travel in Myanmar before the rail network was built.

Bhamo, Mandalay, Pakokku, Magway, and Pyay all sit on the river. Bagan, the ancient capital with more than 2,200 surviving stupas, lies on the eastern bank between Pakokku and Nyaung-U.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Irrawaddy runs the spine of the country, and the piece has been a meaningful gift for customers from Mandalay, Yangon, Bagan, and the broader Burmese diaspora. The Medium reads cleanly framed.

The river palette of brown water, brick stupa, and warm sky sits naturally in warm-traditional rooms, library studies, and earth-toned modern interiors with teak, brass, and unbleached linen.

Yes. The terracotta and bronze palette aligns with the warm-minimalist look that has held since 2023, and the river-and-stupa subject sits well alongside natural-fibre textiles and dark wood.

Above a console the Large is the natural choice. Above a sofa, the 4-tile Mural carries the width; for a long wall or above a bed, the 9-tile Mural reads at the right scale.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so humidity will not damage the piece.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is all the tile needs. Mild dish soap is fine for a kitchen installation. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based cleaners on the surface.

Yes. The Irrawaddy River piece was painted in Reid Wender's studio in Knoxville and is not licensed or reproduced anywhere else. Every WenderVista record is in-house, single-studio work.

— if this one stayed with you

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