shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSpain

in the Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa

Gran Canaria

— — a continent of climates inside one round island.

— 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

“A volcanic island in the Atlantic, part of the Canaries, Spanish soil 150 kilometres off the Saharan coast. Roughly round, fifty kilometres across, with its highest ridges rising above 1,900 metres at the centre. Pine forests up top, banana groves on the slopes, white-sand dunes on the southern tip. The locals call it a miniature continent, and the weather proves them right.

from the studio

— bring it home

Gran Canaria, 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 Gran Canaria

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

Gran Canaria is the third-largest of the Canary Islands, lying in the eastern Atlantic about 150 kilometres off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara. It is roughly circular, 1,560 square kilometres in area, with a high central massif and steep ravines (barrancos) radiating to the coast. The summit, Pico de las Nieves, reaches 1,949 metres. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, on the northeast coast, is the island's capital and shares the role of capital of the Canary Islands with Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the light

The island sits at 28 degrees north, on the latitude of Saharan Africa, and the light shows it. Days are long and even across the calendar; the trade winds keep the north coast soft and often misty while the south coast holds clear sky for weeks at a time. Sunset over the Atlantic from the western cliffs at Agaete carries a particular long copper, the dust of the African calima sometimes thickening the light to ochre.

— informed by Wikipedia: Calima

— the stone

Roque Nublo, the basalt monolith that rises 80 metres from a ridge in the island's interior, is the recognised emblem of Gran Canaria. It is the eroded plug of an ancient volcano, dated to roughly 4.5 million years ago. The pre-Hispanic Canarii regarded it as a sacred site. Below it, the Caldera de Tejeda was described by the Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno as a tempestad petrificada, a petrified storm, and the phrase has held for a century.

— informed by Wikipedia: Roque Nublo

— where

Spain · Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

— position

27.9202° N · 15.5474° 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.

50 km S

Maspalomas Dunes

coastal dune reserve

35 km SW

Roque Nublo

basalt monolith

at the lake

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

capital city

Gran Canaria

Maspalomas Dunes

Roque Nublo

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

Gran Canaria lies in the eastern Atlantic, part of the Spanish Canary Islands, about 150 kilometres off the coast of Morocco. It is the third-largest island in the archipelago by area.

The island covers 1,560 square kilometres and is roughly fifty kilometres across. Its highest point, Pico de las Nieves, rises to 1,949 metres at the centre, with ravines fanning out to every coast.

Maspalomas is a 400-hectare field of shifting Atlantic sand dunes on the island's southern tip, a protected natural reserve since 1987. The dunes meet a brackish lagoon and a palm grove, and reach the open sea.

Spanish, in the distinctive Canarian dialect, closer in cadence to Caribbean Spanish than to the Castilian of the mainland, a legacy of centuries of emigration between the islands and the Americas.

Any month. Average daytime temperatures sit between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius across the calendar. The south stays driest; the north is greener and cooler. Carnival, in February or March, is the largest celebration on the island.

— about the piece in your home

It travels well for canarios in the diaspora and for anyone whose family roots run to the island. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries Las Palmas or the southern coast in a way photographs rarely do.

The volcanic palette and Atlantic light sit naturally in Coastal-modern, Mediterranean, and warm Mid-century interiors. It also holds its own against deep terracotta and aged-wood accents in a more layered, Bohemian room.

A single Large reads cleanly above a standard sofa or console. For a wider wall, a four-tile Mural carries the curve of the dunes or the coast. A nine-tile Mural is the statement piece for a tall feature wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or steamy room. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so humidity does not affect the work.

A soft microfibre cloth, dry or lightly damp with water. No abrasive pads, no household chemicals. The surface is hard-wearing and the colour lives in the ceramic itself.

— if this one stayed with you

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