Wender·Vista
Big Diomede
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileRussia
in the middle of the Bering Strait

Big Diomede

— — the island that sees tomorrow first.

— 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

“A bare basalt island in the middle of the Bering Strait, about four kilometres from its American sister Little Diomede and almost exactly on the International Date Line. The Russian side is uninhabited apart from a weather station and a border post. From the cliffs of Big Diomede you can see Alaska, twenty-one hours behind.

from the studio
Big Diomede
— bring it home

Big Diomede, 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 Big Diomede

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

Big Diomede, also called Ratmanov Island, is the larger of the two Diomede islands in the middle of the Bering Strait between the Chukchi Peninsula of Russia and the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The island is about 10 square kilometres and rises to roughly 500 metres at its highest cliff. It belongs to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation. The International Date Line runs through the strait between Big Diomede and Little Diomede, leaving the two islands about 21 hours apart in local civil time.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the silence

The Inupiat community that once lived on the island was relocated to the Russian mainland during the Cold War, and the island has had no permanent civilian population since. A small Russian border post and a weather station are the only year-round presence. Walruses haul out on the south-facing rocks in summer, and seabirds nest on the cliffs in spring and early summer. The wind off the strait is constant. Apart from helicopter resupply and the cries of murres and kittiwakes, the island is very quiet.

— the visit

Big Diomede is not open to general visitors. The island sits in a closed Russian border zone, and access is controlled by the Federal Security Service. The strait between the two islands freezes solid for parts of winter, and a small number of ultra-distance swimmers and skiers have crossed it under permit, including Lynne Cox's 1987 swim from Little to Big Diomede during the late Cold War. The closest a casual visitor can reasonably get is the village on Little Diomede on the American side, on a clear day.

— informed by Wikipedia · Lynne Cox
— where
Russia · Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
— position
65.7800° N · 169.0500° 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.
4 km E
Little Diomede
island
35 km W
Cape Dezhnev
cape
40 km E
Wales, Alaska
village
N
Big Diomede
Little Diomede
Cape Dezhnev
Wales, Alaska
— common questions

What people ask.

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

In the middle of the Bering Strait, about four kilometres from Little Diomede in Alaska. Big Diomede is Russian territory and belongs to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

The International Date Line runs between Big Diomede and Little Diomede. When Little Diomede is in one calendar day, Big Diomede is already in the next, with about 21 hours of civil-time difference.

Not permanently. The original Inupiat community was relocated to the Russian mainland during the Cold War. The island now hosts only a Russian border post and a weather station.

About 10 square kilometres, with cliffs rising to around 500 metres. The terrain is exposed basalt with no trees, shaped by the constant wind off the Bering Strait.

Yes. The strait freezes in winter and a small number of swimmers and skiers have crossed under permit. Lynne Cox swam from Little to Big Diomede in 1987 during the late Cold War.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well. Big Diomede is one of the geographic curiosities people keep on a list and rarely see. The tile reads as recognition of that interest rather than a postcard. A Small suits a gift across distance.

The basalt greys and cold-water blues sit well in Coastal-modern, Scandinavian Minimalist, and Mountain-modern rooms. The painting reads as a quiet anchor next to wool, oak, and unpainted concrete.

Yes. The cold palette and the austere subject suit Scandinavian and Japandi rooms, where one strong landscape is meant to hold the wall. The Medium is the usual eye-level choice.

A single Large covers most sofas; a four-tile Mural fits a long sectional or a console behind a dining bench. A nine-tile Mural belongs on a stairwell or entry wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stable in humid rooms, so the tile holds up over a backsplash, in a shower, or on a vanity wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for the Glossy finish; the Dura Satin and Matte take a slightly damp cloth without streaking. No abrasives and no ammonia-based cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our own visual language and is not licensed from any third party. The studio sits in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the foot of the Smokies.

— if this one stayed with you

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