shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Africa

on the Mooi River, in the maize country west of Johannesburg

Potchefstroom

Name: Potchefstroom — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— a college town the veld doesn't quite let go of.

— 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

— 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

“Founded in 1838 by Voortrekkers under Andries Hendrik Potgieter, set on the Mooi River where it leaves the Witwatersrand. North-West University fills the centre; the surrounding farms grow maize and sunflowers across the high veld. Locals call it Potch. Students cycle the oak-lined streets year after year, and the seasons turn slowly.

from the studio

— bring it home

Potchefstroom, 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 Potchefstroom

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

Potchefstroom sits in North West Province on the banks of the Mooi River, about 120 km southwest of Johannesburg at roughly 1,350 metres elevation. The town was founded in November 1838 by Andries Hendrik Potgieter and is often considered the oldest European settlement in the former Transvaal. Its population is around 250,000. The North-West University Potchefstroom Campus dominates the centre, and the surrounding district produces a large share of South Africa's maize and sunflower crops.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the water

The Mooi River, Afrikaans for 'pretty river', rises in the Gatsrand hills north of town and flows south to join the Vaal near Parys. Boskop Dam, completed in 1959 about 20 km upstream, supplies the city's water and forms a popular rowing and yachting course. Below the dam the river runs through Mooi River Park and past the old Voortrekker grain mill that gave Potchefstroom its name: 'Potgieter's chief town on the stream'.

— informed by Wikipedia: Mooi River (North West)

— the visit

The town is reached by the N12 highway from Johannesburg in under two hours, or by rail on the Cape Town main line. Most of the heritage core sits within a square kilometre around Church Street and the President Pretorius Museum, the restored 1868 home of the Voortrekker leader. The campus and its botanical garden are open to the public during daylight hours and centre on a 60-hectare grounds laid out in 1951.

— informed by North-West University

— where

South Africa · Potchefstroom, North West

— elevation

1,350 m · 4,429 ft

— position

-26.7167° S · 27.1000° 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.

20 km N

Boskop Dam

reservoir

1 km C

President Pretorius Museum

Voortrekker house museum

1 km C

North-West University

public university

Potchefstroom

Boskop Dam

President Pretorius Museum

North-West University

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

In North West Province of South Africa, on the Mooi River about 120 km southwest of Johannesburg. The town has roughly 250,000 residents at around 1,350 metres on the highveld.

In November 1838 by the Voortrekker commandant Andries Hendrik Potgieter. It is widely regarded as the oldest town of European origin in the former Transvaal region of South Africa.

A contraction of 'Potgieter's chief town on the stream', the Mooi River. The Afrikaans suffix 'stroom' means 'stream', and the 'chef' element references Potgieter as founding commandant.

A merged South African public university headquartered in Potchefstroom, with about 64,000 students across three campuses. Its Potchefstroom campus, established 1869, anchors the town centre.

Mooi means 'pretty' in Afrikaans. The river feeds Boskop Dam upstream of town and was the original power source for Potgieter's grain mill, the stream that named the settlement.

— about the piece in your home

Many of our customers send a Small or Medium to NWU alumni or to family who farmed the Mooi River valley. A Coaster Set with a handwritten studio note travels well by international post.

The veld ochres and river greens suit warm minimalist, modern farmhouse, and Cape Dutch interiors. The piece reads well against whitewashed walls, yellowwood, and sisal.

A single Large fits most three-seat sofas. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural opens up the river horizon. A 9-tile Mural suits a dining room or stairwell.

Yes. Order Dura Satin for a soft, scratch-resistant sheen, or Matte for no reflection. Both finishes handle steam and wipe clean with a damp microfibre cloth.

A damp microfibre cloth and water is all that's needed. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift or fade with cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license artwork from other studios.

— if this one stayed with you