Wender·Vista
Davao City
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines
on the southeast coast of Mindanao, in the shadow of Mount Apo

Davao City

— — a city the country's tallest mountain looks down on.

— 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 largest city on Mindanao, on the gulf of the same name, with Mount Apo rising behind it. The air carries the heavy sweetness of durian from the public market and the salt of the gulf. The studio chose Davao for the way the volcano holds the skyline at the end of nearly every street, and for the green that runs unbroken from the city edge into the cloud forest above. from the studio

from the studio
Davao City
— bring it home

Davao City, 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 Davao City

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

Davao City is a highly urbanised city on the southeastern coast of Mindanao, the southernmost large island of the Philippines. With a land area of roughly 2,444 km², it is one of the largest cities in the world by area, and the regional centre of the Davao Region. The 2020 census recorded a population of about 1.78 million. The city sits on the Davao Gulf, with Mount Apo — the country's highest peak at 2,954 m — defining the western skyline.

— informed by Wikipedia — Davao City
— the air

The climate is tropical and unusually steady. Davao sits outside the main Philippine typhoon belt, so the city sees far fewer landfalls than Luzon or the Visayas. Temperatures hold near 27°C year-round, with rainfall spread across the calendar rather than concentrated in a single monsoon. The air over the bay carries the heavy sweetness of durian from August through October, the height of the harvest at Magsaysay Park's fruit market, and the salt drift off the Davao Gulf.

— the visit

Most visitors arrive through Francisco Bangoy International Airport, ten kilometres northeast of the city centre. Mount Apo Natural Park, gazetted in 1936, draws climbers to a multi-day trek from Kapatagan or Kidapawan; permits are issued through the local tourism office. The Philippine Eagle Center at Malagos, about 36 km from the city, holds a captive-breeding population of Pithecophaga jefferyi, the critically endangered national bird. Samal Island is a twenty-minute barge crossing from Sasa wharf.

— where
Philippines · Davao City, Davao del Sur
— within
Mount Apo Natural Park
— position
7.0731° N · 125.6128° 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.
40 km W
Mount Apo
active stratovolcano
10 km E
Samal Island
island resort
36 km NW
Philippine Eagle Center
conservation center
1 km SE
Davao Gulf
coastal water
N
Davao City
Mount Apo
Samal Island
Philippine Eagle Center
Davao Gulf
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Davao City — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Davao City is on the southeast coast of Mindanao, the southernmost large island of the Philippines, on the Davao Gulf. Mount Apo rises about forty kilometres to the west.

Davao covers roughly 2,444 km², making it one of the largest cities in the world by land area. The 2020 census recorded a population of about 1.78 million.

Mount Apo is an active stratovolcano in Davao Region and the highest peak in the Philippines at 2,954 metres. Its surrounding natural park was gazetted in 1936 and is a multi-day trek for permitted climbers.

Davao Region produces the majority of the Philippines' durian crop. The peak harvest runs August through October, when Magsaysay Park's fruit stalls fill with Puyat, Arancillo, and other Davao varieties.

Davao sits outside the main Philippine typhoon belt, so it experiences far fewer landfalls than Luzon or the Visayas. The climate stays near 27°C year-round, with rainfall spread across the calendar.

The Philippine Eagle Center at Malagos, about 36 km from the city, holds a captive-breeding population of the critically endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the country's national bird.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers from the Mindanaoan diaspora. The Mount Apo skyline and the gulf are recognised on sight. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The piece sits well in Tropical-modern, warm Minimalist, and Coastal-modern rooms. The greens and gulf blues of the stained-glass treatment read as soft colour, not loud pattern.

Yes. The volcano-and-jungle palette and the natural ceramic surface align with the biophilic trend toward landscape art and earthy materials. A Large above a console anchors the look.

Above a standard three-seat sofa, a single Large reads cleanly; for a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural extends the skyline; for a statement wall, the 9-tile Mural.

Yes. For wet or steamy rooms, choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish — both are scratch-resistant and hold up to humidity, with no sheen on the Matte.

Yes. Every piece in the WenderVista atlas is original to Wender Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee. The work is curated by Reid Wender and hand-finished in-house, with no licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

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