shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines

in Laguna province, south of Manila, at the foot of Mount Makiling

Calamba

— — the town that raised the country's national hero.

— 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

“A city of about half a million south of Manila Bay, at the foot of Mount Makiling. The hero José Rizal was born here in 1861; his family's restored Spanish-colonial house stands a block from the parish church where he was baptised. Hot springs rise around the volcano's flanks. The lake at Pansol stays the temperature of strong tea, and the air carries woodsmoke and cooking rice.

from the studio

— bring it home

Calamba, 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 Calamba

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

Calamba is a first-class component city in Laguna province on the southern shore of Laguna de Bay, about 54 kilometres south of Manila by the South Luzon Expressway. The city sits at the northern foot of Mount Makiling, a 1,090-metre dormant stratovolcano, and is the de facto capital of the Calabarzon region. Its 2020 census population was 539,671. José Rizal — the Philippine national hero — was born here on 19 June 1861.

— informed by Wikipedia, City of Calamba

— the air

Mount Makiling, the volcano that shadows Calamba from the south, holds the city's weather and water. Rising 1,090 metres above the Laguna plain, it draws afternoon cloud during the May–October monsoon and feeds the hot springs at Pansol and Bucal from a shallow geothermal reservoir. The Makiling Forest Reserve, managed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños, protects more than 4,200 hectares of secondary rainforest on its slopes.

— informed by UPLB Makiling Center

— the visit

The Rizal Shrine on Mercado Street is the principal pilgrimage site, a careful 1949 reconstruction of the two-storey Spanish-colonial house in which the hero was born and lived as a child. Entry is free, daily except Mondays. The St. John the Baptist Parish Church across the plaza holds Rizal's baptismal font. Hot springs at Pansol and Bucal, fed by the volcano's geothermal system, draw weekend visitors from Manila in every dry season.

— informed by National Historical Commission

— where

Philippines · Calamba, Laguna

— elevation

22 m · 72 ft

— position

14.2117° N · 121.1653° 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.

10 km SE

Los Baños

university town

54 km N

Manila

capital

6 km S

Pansol Hot Springs

hot spring district

50 km SW

Taal Lake

volcanic lake

Calamba

Los Baños

Manila

Pansol Hot Springs

Taal Lake

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

Calamba is a city in Laguna province on the south shore of Laguna de Bay, about 54 kilometres south of Manila, at the northern foot of Mount Makiling.

It is the birthplace of José Rizal, the Philippine national hero, who was born there on 19 June 1861. His family home has been restored as the Rizal Shrine.

A 1949 reconstruction of the two-storey Spanish-colonial house where Rizal was born and spent his early childhood. It stands on Mercado Street and is open daily except Mondays.

A 1,090-metre dormant stratovolcano on the boundary of Laguna and Batangas provinces. Its lower slopes are protected as the Makiling Forest Reserve, managed by UP Los Baños.

The geothermal heat of Mount Makiling feeds shallow aquifers that surface as hot springs in the Pansol and Bucal districts on the city's southern edge. Resorts draw weekend visitors from Manila.

The city recorded a 2020 population of 539,671 and is a first-class component city of Laguna, serving as the de facto regional centre of the Calabarzon area.

— about the piece in your home

It has resonated with customers whose family or pilgrimage roots are in Calamba or in Rizal's wider story. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The volcano-greens and ochre tones sit well in tropical-modern, biophilic, and warm Mid-century rooms, and against narra wood or hand-woven abaca in a heritage-style space.

Yes. Biophilic interiors lean on layered greens and warm earth tones, and the Calamba palette — Makiling forest against tile-roof red — sits naturally in that family.

A single Large reads cleanly above most consoles. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural balances the width; a 9-tile Mural takes a long wall comfortably.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for backsplashes, showers, or vertical installations. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and is unaffected by humidity.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based cleaners. The finish protects the surface for ordinary household use.

— if this one stayed with you