shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeru

on the high plateau between Peru and Bolivia

Titicaca

— — the lake the sky was born in.

— 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

“The high lake of the altiplano, sitting at 3,812 metres on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Reed islands float on the Peruvian side near Puno; stone-terraced islands rise on the Bolivian side near Copacabana. The water reads as a blue almost too clean to be a lake. Thin air, high sun, no haze between the surface and the sky.

from the studio

— bring it home

Titicaca, 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 Titicaca

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

Lake Titicaca lies on the Andean altiplano at an elevation of 3,812 metres, straddling the border of southern Peru and western Bolivia. Its surface area of approximately 8,372 square kilometres makes it the largest lake in South America by water volume and the highest navigable lake in the world. The Peruvian city of Puno is the main port on the western shore. The lake was central to Incan cosmology; the Sun and the founders of the dynasty were said to have emerged from its waters.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the water

Titicaca holds about 893 cubic kilometres of water with a mean depth of 107 metres, reaching 281 metres in the northern basin. More than twenty-five rivers feed it; only the Río Desaguadero drains out, southward toward the salt flats of Bolivia. The high altitude keeps the surface temperature between 10 and 14 degrees Celsius in every season, and the thin atmosphere gives the colour its unusual clarity. Pollution from Puno bay remains a concern monitored by both governments.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the visit

Most visitors arrive through Puno on the Peruvian side, reachable by overnight bus from Cusco or Arequipa or by tourist train from Cusco. Half-day boat trips run to the Uros floating reed islands; full-day trips reach Taquile, where the Quechua weaving tradition is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List. The Bolivian shore is approached from Copacabana, with launches to the Isla del Sol. Altitude affects most travellers; a day of rest at altitude before any boat day is advised.

— informed by UNESCO Representative List

— where

Peru · Puno Region, Peru

— within

Titicaca National Reserve

— elevation

3,812 m · 12,507 ft

— position

-15.7522° S · 69.3349° 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.

5 km W

Puno

city

7 km E

Uros Floating Islands

islands

45 km E

Taquile

island

40 km NE

Amantani

island

150 km SE

Copacabana

town

Titicaca

Puno

Uros Floating Islands

Taquile

Amantani

Copacabana

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

The surface sits at 3,812 metres above sea level, making it the highest navigable lake in the world. Boats and passenger ferries have crossed it commercially since the 19th century.

On the altiplano of the central Andes, divided between southern Peru and western Bolivia. The Peruvian shore is approached from Puno; the Bolivian shore from Copacabana on the southeastern bay.

Roughly 60 artificial islands built from totora reeds by the Uros people on the Peruvian side of Titicaca. The islands are rebuilt with fresh reeds every few months and anchored to the lake bed.

Incan cosmology placed the origin of the Sun, the Moon, and the first Inca rulers on islands in the lake. Isla del Sol on the Bolivian shore is the principal sacred site.

The surface stays between roughly 10 and 14 degrees Celsius in every season, moderated by the volume of deep water beneath. Air temperatures swing far more, with frost common on winter nights.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to people from Puno, Cusco, La Paz, or anywhere in the highlands. The Medium reads warmly in a Spanish-language household; the Coaster carries a handwritten studio note.

The high blue-and-gold palette of the altiplano suits Southwestern rooms, Andean textile interiors, and warm minimalism with terracotta accents. It also reads in libraries with woven rugs and dark wood.

A single Large covers most consoles. A four-tile Mural reads above a standard sofa; a nine-tile Mural lets the wide horizon of the altiplano open across a feature wall.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for humid rooms. The Glossy finish is best for framed wall pieces away from direct steam.

Soft microfibre and plain water. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish and does not fade with cleaning or with years of sunlight on the wall.

Yes. Reid Wender curates and finishes every piece in the Knoxville studio. The work is not licensed or sold through any other retailer.

— if this one stayed with you