Wender·Vista
Changwon
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSouth Korea
on the southern coast of South Korea, an hour west of Busan

Changwon

— — the week the cherry trees turn the harbour pink.

— 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 planned city on the south coast, an hour west of Busan, that absorbed the old naval town of Jinhae in 2010. For one week in early April the cherry trees along the Yeojwacheon stream and the railway at Gyeonghwa Station bloom together, and the Jinhae Gunhangje festival draws several million visitors to a city of about a million. The rest of the year it is a working industrial port.

from the studio
Changwon
— bring it home

Changwon, 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 Changwon

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

Changwon is a special city of about a million people in South Gyeongsang Province, on the southeastern coast of the Korean peninsula. It was laid out as a planned industrial city in the 1970s and absorbed the neighbouring cities of Masan and Jinhae in a 2010 administrative merger, becoming one of the largest cities in the country by area. The port at Masan handles container traffic, the old naval base at Jinhae remains the headquarters of the Republic of Korea Navy, and the Changwon National Industrial Complex sits at the city's centre.

— informed by Wikipedia: Changwon
— the season

The Jinhae cherry blossom window is short, usually the first or second week of April, and the Jinhae Gunhangje festival is scheduled around it. The most photographed locations are the Yeojwacheon stream, where a footbridge called Romance Bridge crosses under overhanging branches, and the closed railway at Gyeonghwa Station, where the tracks tunnel through cherry trees for several hundred metres. The festival draws several million visitors each year and is the busiest single week on the south coast. Outside that window the city is comparatively quiet.

— the visit

Changwon is reached by KTX high-speed train from Seoul to Changwon Central or Masan station in roughly three hours, and by local rail or expressway bus from Busan in about an hour. During the cherry-blossom festival accommodation in Jinhae fills months in advance, and most visitors stay in Changwon proper or commute from Busan. The festival venues at Yeojwacheon, Gyeonghwa Station and the Jehwangsan Park observation point are linked by shuttle buses for the duration of the festival week.

— where
South Korea · Changwon, South Gyeongsang
— elevation
10 m · 33 ft
— position
35.2280° N · 128.6811° 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.
50 km E
Busan
metropolitan city
15 km S
Jinhae
naval district
10 km W
Masan
port district
12 km S
Gyeonghwa Station
cherry blossom site
12 km S
Yeojwacheon Stream
festival site
N
Changwon
Busan
Jinhae
Masan
Gyeonghwa Station
Yeojwacheon Stream
— common questions

What people ask.

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

On the southern coast of South Korea, in South Gyeongsang Province, about an hour west of Busan by road. The city looks out onto Masan Bay and the Korea Strait.

The former city of Jinhae, merged into Changwon in 2010, hosts the country's largest cherry-blossom festival. The Yeojwacheon stream and Gyeonghwa Station are the most photographed locations.

Usually the first or second week of April, timed to the cherry blossom peak. The festival draws several million visitors and includes navy parades, performances and military open days at the Jinhae base.

Roughly a million residents, making it the largest city in South Gyeongsang Province. The 2010 merger of Changwon, Masan and Jinhae made it one of the largest cities in the country by area.

Heavy machinery, defence manufacturing and shipbuilding. The Changwon National Industrial Complex was laid out in the 1970s as a planned industrial city and remains one of the largest such complexes in Korea.

By KTX high-speed train from Seoul to Changwon Central or Masan station in about three hours, or by local rail and expressway bus from Busan in roughly an hour.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The Jinhae cherry blossoms are one of the most photographed scenes in Korea, and former residents or naval families often have strong ties to the festival. A Medium or Large carries the line of trees well.

Japandi, warm-Minimalist and modern Korean interiors. The pink-on-pale-grey palette also sits well in coastal-modern rooms and in nurseries or bedrooms that lean on soft tones.

A single Large fits most sofas. For a longer wall, a four-tile Mural extends the line of cherry trees, and a nine-tile Mural turns the blossom street into a single panel.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour lives in the surface, so steam, soap and cooking heat do not affect it. Wipe with a damp microfibre cloth.

A soft microfibre cloth with water. The glossy finish takes a light pass; Dura Satin and Matte are slightly more forgiving with everyday dust and fingerprints.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in the studio's own visual language by Reid Wender, the curator. There is no licensing and no third-party imagery.

— 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.