Wender·Vista
Pig Beach
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileThe Bahamas
on Big Major Cay, in the Exuma chain of the Bahamas

Pig Beach

— — the cay the pigs swim out from.

— 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 small uninhabited cay in the Exuma chain, ringed by the kind of pale aquamarine the Bahamas are known for. The residents are a colony of feral pigs that swim out to meet visiting boats. How they arrived is uncertain — sailors, a planned tourist draw, a shipwreck — but they have been there for decades and the beach now carries their name on every chart. from the studio

from the studio
Pig Beach
— bring it home

Pig Beach, 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 Pig Beach

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

Pig Beach sits on the western shore of Big Major Cay, a small uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays of the central Bahamas. The cay lies about 132 kilometres south-east of Nassau and a short boat ride from Staniel Cay, the nearest settled island. A colony of roughly twenty feral pigs lives on the beach and in the scrub behind it, swimming out into the shallow turquoise water to meet incoming boats. The Bahamas National Trust has worked with local operators to manage feeding and reduce overcrowding.

— the water

The lagoon at Big Major Cay is the same shallow, pale aquamarine that runs the length of the Exuma chain — sunlight passing through clear seawater and reflecting off white aragonite sand on the bottom. Depths near the beach rarely exceed two metres for the first hundred metres offshore, which is why the pigs can stand and swim out comfortably. The seabed shelves slowly toward the deeper turquoise band of Exuma Sound to the east.

— informed by Bahamas National Trust
— the visit

Big Major Cay is reached by boat, usually as a day trip from Staniel Cay, Great Exuma, or by chartered seaplane from Nassau. Most visitors arrive on a guided tour that includes Thunderball Grotto and the swimming-pig stop together. The Bahamas National Trust and local operators ask that visitors not feed the pigs human food and not enter the water with sunscreen still wet on the skin. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November.

— where
The Bahamas · Big Major Cay, Exuma
— position
24.1761° N · 76.4633° 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.
2 km S
Staniel Cay
settled cay
3 km S
Thunderball Grotto
sea cave
30 km N
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
marine park
N
Pig Beach
Staniel Cay
Thunderball Grotto
Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Pig Beach sits on Big Major Cay, a small uninhabited island in the Exuma chain of the central Bahamas, about 132 kilometres south-east of Nassau.

The origin is uncertain. Local accounts mention sailors leaving pigs as a future food source, a tourist-draw experiment, or survivors of a shipwreck. The colony has been there for decades.

Around twenty pigs and piglets at any given time. The number fluctuates with births, deaths, and management by the Bahamas National Trust and local operators.

By boat or seaplane. Most arrive on a day tour from Staniel Cay, Great Exuma, or Nassau. The cay has no airstrip, no settlement, and no facilities.

Generally yes, with care. Operators ask visitors not to feed human food, not to chase or grab the animals, and to keep sunscreen off the skin before entering the water.

December through April is the dry season with calmer seas and lighter winds. June through November is Atlantic hurricane season and tours are weather-dependent.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The cay is one of the most recognised images of the Exumas. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note travels well to a Bahamas-loving family member or honeymoon recipient.

The aquamarine and white-sand palette sits naturally in coastal-modern, beach-house, and Florida-room settings. It also lifts a quiet neutral palette with a single jolt of clean colour.

Yes. The current coastal-modern direction favours uncluttered images of real places over generic beach motifs. This piece reads as a destination, not as a stock seascape.

A single Large is the right scale above most sofas. A 4-tile Mural reads as a wide lagoon; a 9-tile Mural anchors a large beach-house wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installations in humid rooms. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and is unaffected by steam.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The thin glossy finish wipes clean and does not need polish or sealant.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, curated by Reid Wender, and not licensed from any third party. Each tile is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— 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.