Wender·Vista
Izhevsk
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileRussia
in the Udmurt forests west of the Urals

Izhevsk

— a working town built around a long pond.

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

In the Udmurt Republic, west of the Urals, about a thousand kilometres east of Moscow. Izhevsk grew up around an ironworks founded in 1760 and a long pond made by damming the Izh River. The pond is the centre of the city — frozen most of winter, walked across, skated, fished through. Snow holds the light low for half the year. Onion dome and factory chimney on the same horizon.

from the studio
Izhevsk
— bring it home

Izhevsk, 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 Izhevsk

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

Izhevsk is the capital of the Udmurt Republic, in the Volga Federal District of Russia, about 1,130 km east of Moscow and west of the central Ural range. The city was founded in 1760 around the Izhevsk Ironworks established by Count Pyotr Shuvalov. Its central feature is the Izhevsk Pond, a long reservoir on the Izh River created by the original works dam. Population is roughly 640,000. The Udmurts, a Finno-Ugric people, give the republic its name and one of its two official languages.

the year

Arms manufacturing has defined the city since the early 19th century, when the Imperial Arms Factory was established alongside the original ironworks in 1807. Mikhail Kalashnikov developed and refined the AK-47 here at Izhmash beginning in 1947, and the Kalashnikov Concern remains headquartered in the city. The Kalashnikov Museum opened in 2004 near the central square. Other plants produce Lada cars and Izh motorcycles. The factory whistle still marks shift change for a sizeable share of the workforce.

the season

The climate is sharply continental. January averages near -13°C and snow lies from November through early April. The Izhevsk Pond freezes solid by December, and ice-fishing huts dot it through the cold months. Summers are short and warm — July averages around 19°C — and the surrounding birch and pine forest fills with mushroom and berry foragers. The Udmurt folk festival Gerber, held in late June, marks the end of the spring planting cycle.

where
Russia · Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic
elevation
160 m · 525 ft
position
56.8527° N · 53.2114° 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.
at the lake
Izhevsk Pond
reservoir
1 km central square
Kalashnikov Museum
museum
1 km central
St. Michael's Cathedral
Orthodox cathedral
N
Izhevsk
Izhevsk Pond
Kalashnikov Museum
St. Michael's Cathedral
common questions

What people ask.

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

Izhevsk is the capital of the Udmurt Republic in the Volga Federal District of Russia, about 1,130 km east of Moscow and just west of the central Ural Mountains.

Izhevsk is the historical home of Russian small-arms manufacturing. Mikhail Kalashnikov developed the AK-47 at the Izhmash plant beginning in 1947, and the Kalashnikov Concern remains headquartered in the city.

The city was founded in 1760 around an ironworks established by Count Pyotr Shuvalov on the Izh River. The Imperial Arms Factory was added in 1807, anchoring its long industrial role.

A long reservoir on the Izh River, created by the original 18th-century factory dam. It runs through the centre of the city and freezes solid through the long winter.

The Udmurts are a Finno-Ugric ethnic group native to the region between the Vyatka and Kama rivers. Udmurt and Russian are the two official languages of the republic Izhevsk anchors.

about the piece in your home

It holds meaning for the diaspora. Izhevsk has a sharp sense of itself shaped by the pond, the factory whistle, and the Udmurt folk layer beneath the Russian. A Small or Medium reads as a considered choice.

The cool winter palette and onion-dome silhouettes sit comfortably in maximalist, jewel-tone, and Eastern European modern rooms. It also pairs with dark wood, brass, and heavy linen.

A single Large or 4-tile Mural reads well above a standard sofa. A 9-tile Mural gives the pond its full horizontal sweep over a long console or dining wall.

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

A microfibre cloth and water for routine care. The thin glossy finish wipes clean. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based sprays, which dull the surface over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language by Reid Wender, the curator. Nothing is licensed in from outside.

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