Wender·Vista
Wrangel Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileRussia
far above the Arctic Circle, in the Chukchi Sea

Wrangel Island

— — where the mammoths held on the longest.

— 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 treeless island between the Chukchi and East Siberian seas, set across the 180th meridian so the calendar splits in two. Wrangel held the last woolly mammoths on Earth, alive until roughly four thousand years ago. Polar bears come ashore in autumn to den. The ranger station at Ushakovskoye is the only settlement, and even that is mostly empty. — from the studio

from the studio
Wrangel Island
— bring it home

Wrangel Island, 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 Wrangel Island

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

Wrangel Island sits about 140 kilometres off the northeastern Siberian coast, divided almost exactly by the 180th meridian. The island covers roughly 7,600 square kilometres of tundra, low mountains, and braided river valleys, with the Sovetskaya range running through its centre. Administered as part of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, it has been a Russian zapovednik (strict nature reserve) since 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004. Access is by permit only, usually via icebreaker expedition cruise out of Anadyr or Nome, weather allowing.

— the silence

There is no permanent civilian population. A small ranger contingent rotates through Ushakovskoye, the abandoned settlement on the south coast, and a meteorological post at Cape Blossom. The island lies inside the Arctic Circle, so for about two months in winter the sun does not rise, and for about two months in summer it does not set. Sound travels strangely across tundra that holds no trees, only dwarf willow and moss. The species count of vascular plants exceeds four hundred, the highest of any Arctic island.

— the year

Polar bears use Wrangel as their densest denning ground in the Russian Arctic, with several hundred maternity dens recorded in a strong year. Pacific walrus haul out by the tens of thousands on the south-coast spits in late summer. Snow geese nest here in the only large Asian colony of the species, returning each May from California's Central Valley. The mammoths held on until roughly 1700 BCE, the last of their kind anywhere, four thousand years after the mainland populations were gone.

— where
Russia · Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
— within
Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve
— position
71.2300° N · 179.4200° 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.
70 km E
Herald Island
Arctic islet
230 km S
Cape Schmidt
Siberian coastal settlement
N
Wrangel Island
Herald Island
Cape Schmidt
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Wrangel Island lies in the Chukchi Sea about 140 kilometres north of the Siberian mainland, inside the Arctic Circle. The 180th meridian cuts through it, so the island spans both eastern and western hemispheres.

Wrangel held the last surviving woolly mammoths on Earth, a dwarf population that persisted until around 1700 BCE. That is roughly four thousand years after mainland mammoths went extinct and within the era of Egypt's Middle Kingdom.

Only by Russian-permitted expedition, usually a small-ship icebreaker cruise running from Anadyr or Nome in August and September. The island is a strict nature reserve and independent landings are not allowed.

Polar bears den here in greater numbers than anywhere else in the Russian Arctic. Pacific walrus haul out by the tens of thousands, Asia's only large snow goose colony nests inland, and muskoxen reintroduced in 1975 now roam the tundra.

Yes. The Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2004 for the highest level of biodiversity of any High Arctic ecosystem.

The island is named for Ferdinand von Wrangel, a Baltic German admiral in Russian service who searched for it in the 1820s based on Chukchi accounts. American whaler Thomas Long sighted it in 1867 and gave it Wrangel's name.

— about the piece in your home

It suits a reader of Arctic exploration, a polar-cruise traveller, or anyone whose shelf already holds Shackleton and Nansen. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries the place quietly into a study or reading nook.

The cool palette, ice-shadow blues, and low-horizon composition sit well in Scandinavian minimalist, Nordic-modern, and quiet maritime rooms. It also holds its own against warm oak and wool in a more layered cabin interior.

Yes. The restrained Arctic palette and unhurried composition track with the current Nordic-modern direction, where rooms lean on natural light, pale wood, and one strong piece of art rather than gallery walls.

Above a standard sofa or console, the single Large reads as a focal piece. For a longer wall or a generous entry, a four-tile Mural opens the composition; a nine-tile Mural turns the wall into the view.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splashes, which makes them right for a backsplash, a shower surround, or a powder-room wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water is enough. For a kitchen install, a small amount of mild dish soap is fine. Avoid abrasive pads and bleach-based sprays, which can dull the surface over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, under the eye of Reid Wender. The artwork is original to our studio and not licensed from any third party.

— if this one stayed with you

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