Wender·Vista
Lipa
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePhilippines
in the Batangas highlands, an hour and a half south of Manila

Lipa

— — the coffee town under the volcano.

— 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

“Lipa sits on a plateau about 313 metres above the sea, in the shadow of Mount Malarayat and within sight of Taal on a clear day. In the 19th century the town grew rich on Barako coffee, a strong native Liberica variety still grown in the surrounding barangays. The Carmelite Monastery on the city's edge became famous after the 1948 apparitions of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, and the rose-petal devotion that followed; pilgrims still walk the chapel garden at first light. The old San Sebastian Cathedral, rebuilt after the 1942 earthquake, anchors the plaza. from the studio

from the studio
Lipa
— bring it home

Lipa, 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 Lipa

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

Lipa is a component city in the province of Batangas on the island of Luzon, about 78 kilometres south of Manila by the STAR Tollway. It sits on a plateau roughly 313 metres above sea level, ringed by the Malarayat range on the east and within sight of the Taal Volcano caldera to the west. The 2020 census recorded a population of about 372,931, making it the most populous city in Batangas. The diocese of Lipa, an archdiocese since 1972, has its seat at San Sebastian Cathedral on the central plaza.

— the year

Lipa's 19th-century wealth came from Barako coffee, a hardy Liberica variety the Spanish friars planted across the Batangas highlands from the 1740s onward. By the 1880s Lipa was one of the major coffee centres of Southeast Asia, until a coffee rust epidemic late that decade collapsed the trade almost overnight. The crop survived in scattered barangay plots and is now part of a slow regional revival. The old principalía houses on Calle Real, several still standing, date from those coffee-boom years.

— the visit

The Carmelite Monastery of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, on the western edge of the city, became a major Marian site after a series of apparitions reported by the novice Teresita Castillo in 1948 and the well-documented showers of rose petals that followed. The local archdiocese formally recognised the devotion in 2015. The monastery chapel is open daily for early-morning Mass; the public garden where pilgrims walk fills before sunrise on Saturdays. San Sebastian Cathedral, rebuilt after the 1942 earthquake, anchors the central plaza a few blocks east.

— where
Philippines · Lipa City, Batangas
— elevation
313 m · 1,027 ft
— position
13.9411° N · 121.1622° 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.
8 km E
Mount Malarayat
mountain range
30 km W
Taal Volcano
volcano
40 km NW
Tagaytay
ridge town
N
Lipa
Mount Malarayat
Taal Volcano
Tagaytay
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Lipa is a component city in Batangas province on Luzon island, about 78 kilometres south of Manila by the STAR Tollway. It sits on a plateau at roughly 313 metres elevation, between the Malarayat range and Taal Volcano.

Lipa was the centre of the Philippine coffee boom in the 19th century, producing the Liberica variety known locally as Barako. A rust epidemic in the late 1880s collapsed the trade, but the crop survives in scattered barangay plots.

A Carmelite novice, Teresita Castillo, reported a series of Marian apparitions under the title Mediatrix of All Grace, accompanied by well-documented showers of rose petals. The local archdiocese formally recognised the devotion in 2015.

The 2020 census recorded a population of about 372,931, which makes Lipa the most populous city in Batangas. It is a component city, not part of Metro Manila, and serves as a regional commercial centre.

San Sebastian is the seat of the Archdiocese of Lipa, on the central plaza. The present structure was rebuilt after the 1942 earthquake, on the site of the older Spanish-era church established when Lipa was founded as a parish in 1605.

From Manila, the STAR Tollway and South Luzon Expressway run directly to Lipa, taking about an hour and a half by car in normal traffic. Provincial buses from Cubao and Buendia also serve the city daily.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers connected to the city. Lipeños associate home with the Carmelite chapel, Barako coffee, and the plaza around San Sebastian. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece reads well in warm Tropical Modern, Spanish Colonial, and quiet Maximalist rooms. The ochre and green of the highlands hold up against narra wood, capiz shell light fixtures, and woven rattan.

Yes. Heritage rooms reward art tied to a specific bayan rather than generic island imagery. A single tile of Lipa above a narra console gives the room a quiet centre without crowding it.

Above a standard sofa we recommend a single Large, a four-tile Mural, or a nine-tile Mural for a feature wall. Above a console, a Medium or Large sits comfortably.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so kitchen splash and bathroom steam do not affect the artwork.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine dusting. A mild non-abrasive household cleaner is safe on the Dura Satin and Matte finishes for kitchen installations.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is original to the studio, made by Reid Wender, and produced only here. There is no licensing and no third-party print partner.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.