Wender·Vista
Norman's Cay
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileThe Bahamas
in the northern Exumas, south of Nassau

Norman's Cay

— — a long quiet cay with a plane in the shallows.

— 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 thin curl of limestone and sand in the northern Exumas, about 75 kilometres southeast of Nassau. The cay is best known for the wreck of a Curtiss C-46 in the lagoon, half-submerged since 1980, when the island was being run as a transshipment base for the Medellín cartel. The story is over; the wreck is still there. The water is the pale Bahamian green that flat sand gives back.

from the studio
Norman's Cay
— bring it home

Norman's Cay, 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 Norman's Cay

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

Norman's Cay sits in the northern Exuma chain of The Bahamas, roughly 75 kilometres southeast of Nassau and about 8 kilometres long, with a single airstrip running its spine. The island is privately held and now operates as an upscale fly-in resort under the MacDuff's name. From 1978 to 1982 it was used by the German-Colombian smuggler Carlos Lehder as a refuelling stop for cocaine flights between Colombia and the southeastern United States; Bahamian authorities seized control in 1983 after pressure from the United States DEA.

— the water

The lagoon on the western side of the cay shelters the wreck of a Curtiss C-46 Commando, ditched in 1980 during the Lehder period and never recovered. The aircraft rests in roughly 3 metres of water, accessible to snorkellers off MacDuff's beach. The Exuma Sound east of the cay drops to over 1,800 metres within a few kilometres of shore, while the bank west of the cay sits in less than 5 metres — the reason the colour reads as that pale, lit-from-below green.

— the silence

The cay has no commercial ferry, no public mooring field, and no scheduled flights. Access is by private boat or by light aircraft to the single 1,036-metre paved strip, ICAO MYEN, which the resort gates. Roughly two dozen private houses share the island with a small restaurant and a dive shop. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, the world's first marine reserve when it was established in 1958, begins a few kilometres south, which limits commercial traffic in the surrounding water.

— where
The Bahamas · Exuma District, Bahamas
— elevation
2 m · 7 ft
— position
24.5950° N · 76.8200° 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.
4 km N
Wax Cay
small cay
13 km N
Highbourne Cay
marina cay
8 km S
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
marine reserve
25 km S
Shroud Cay
mangrove cay
75 km NW
Nassau
capital
N
Norman's Cay
Wax Cay
Highbourne Cay
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
Shroud Cay
Nassau
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Norman's Cay — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the northern Exuma chain of The Bahamas, roughly 75 kilometres southeast of Nassau. The cay is about 8 kilometres long, with a private airstrip running its length.

A Curtiss C-46 Commando ditched in the lagoon in 1980, during the period the island was used as a Medellín cartel refuelling base. The wreck remains in about 3 metres of water.

A German-Colombian smuggler and Medellín cartel co-founder who leased Norman's Cay from 1978 to 1982 as a transshipment point for cocaine flights to the southeastern United States. He was extradited in 1987.

Yes, by private boat or light aircraft. The cay is privately held and runs as a small resort under the MacDuff's name. There is no commercial ferry and no scheduled airline service.

The bank to the west sits in less than 5 metres, which gives the pale green colour. The Exuma Sound to the east drops past 1,800 metres within a few kilometres of shore.

A 456-square-kilometre marine reserve a few kilometres south of Norman's Cay, established in 1958 and run by the Bahamas National Trust. It was the world's first land-and-sea park.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The piece frames the lagoon, the sand bank, and the sunken aircraft the way visitors remember the cay. A Small or Medium with a note from the studio carries well.

The Bahamian green and warm sand read well in Coastal modern, British Colonial, and Quiet Luxury rooms. The piece anchors a wall beside rattan, bleached oak, and pale linen.

Yes. Coastal modern leans on shallow-water greens, sand, and a single sky note — the three notes the Norman's Cay piece carries. It sits naturally beside woven jute and worn teak.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly; for a wider wall, a 4-tile Mural fills the field. Above a console table, a Medium centres at eye level.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical bathroom and kitchen installs; both are scratch-resistant and moisture-stable. The Glossy finish is for framed wall pieces only.

A dry microfibre cloth handles dust. For smudges, a damp microfibre with plain water. No solvents, no abrasives, no glass cleaner; the colour lives in the surface and stays put.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn and hand-finished in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no resale art; the Norman's Cay piece exists only here.

— 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.