Wender·Vista
Eigg
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited Kingdom
in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland

Eigg

— a small island that owns itself.

— 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 island in the Inner Hebrides, west of Mallaig, with about a hundred residents and one main road. Eigg's defining fact is that it bought itself. Since 1997 the islanders have owned the ground under their feet, and since 2008 they have run the lights and the kettles on wind, water, and sun. Visitors come for the pitchstone ridge of An Sgùrr and the singing quartz beach at Camas Sgiotaig.

from the studio
Eigg
— bring it home

Eigg, 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 Eigg

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

Eigg is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, lying west of Mallaig and south of the Isle of Skye. The island runs roughly five miles by three, with a resident population of about a hundred. Its southern skyline is dominated by An Sgùrr, a pitchstone ridge rising to 393 metres above sea level, the largest such outcrop in the British Isles. Caledonian MacBrayne sails to the harbour at Galmisdale from Mallaig several days a week throughout the year. In summer the wooden MV Sheerwater also runs from Arisaig.

— the silence

There is one shop, one tearoom at the pier, and one primary school. The island runs its own electricity grid, switched on in 2008 and fed by wind, hydro, and solar, the first community-owned off-grid renewable system of its kind. Mobile signal is patchy and the single road has no streetlights. Once the last ferry pulls back across the Sound of Sleat to Mallaig the harbour empties, and on most evenings the loudest thing on the island is the wind across the heather above Cleadale.

— informed by Eigg Electric
— the visit

Day visitors usually walk the four-mile circuit to the summit of An Sgùrr, which gives a long view across to Rùm and Skye, or head north to the Singing Sands at Camas Sgiotaig, where dry quartz grains squeak underfoot. The Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust runs the bunkhouse and campsite near the pier at Galmisdale, and bicycles can be hired from Eigg Adventures by the tearoom. Galmisdale Bay café serves the only hot meal on the island and closes when the last ferry leaves.

— where
United Kingdom · Lochaber, Highland, Scotland
— position
56.9000° N · 6.1500° 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.
8 km NW
Rùm
neighbouring Small Isle
8 km SW
Muck
neighbouring Small Isle
25 km E
Mallaig
mainland ferry port
30 km N
Isle of Skye
Inner Hebridean island
N
Eigg
Rùm
Muck
Mallaig
Isle of Skye
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Eigg's residents bought the island in 1997 through the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, ending a long line of absentee landlords. In 2008 they switched on the world's first community-owned off-grid renewable electricity scheme.

An Sgùrr is a 393-metre pitchstone ridge that forms Eigg's southern skyline. It is the largest exposed pitchstone outcrop in the British Isles and the standard day-walk for visitors, with a long view across to Rùm.

Caledonian MacBrayne sails from Mallaig on the Scottish mainland to Galmisdale harbour several days a week throughout the year. In summer the MV Sheerwater also runs from Arisaig. The crossing takes about ninety minutes.

Camas Sgiotaig on the north coast is a quartz-sand beach that squeaks underfoot when dry. The sound is caused by the size and shape of the grains rubbing together as walkers cross.

The resident population is around a hundred. There is one primary school, one shop, one tearoom at the pier, and a single road that runs from Galmisdale toward the crofting township of Cleadale on the north coast.

The Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust owns the island, a partnership of the residents, the Highland Council, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The community buyout was completed on 12 June 1997.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for someone whose family came out of the Highlands or the Islands. A Small or Coaster with a handwritten note from the studio reads well for a birthday, a housewarming, or a Burns Night gift.

The slate-blue and heather palette sits well in coastal-modern, Highland-modern, and quiet Scandinavian rooms. The piece reads warmer beside oak, wool, and unpolished pewter than beside high-gloss white.

Above a standard sofa or console we recommend a single Large for a calm reading, a 4-tile Mural for more presence, or a 9-tile Mural where the wall can carry the open Hebridean horizon.

Yes. For wet rooms and backsplashes order the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to steam and splash without sealing or special upkeep.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water are enough. No abrasives, no household cleaners, no sealant. The colour lives in the ceramic itself and will not lift with normal handling.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn in-house by Reid Wender and hand-finished in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. The work is not licensed and is not reproduced anywhere else.

— if this one stayed with you

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