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

Islay

— — the island that smells of peat and salt.

— 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 240-square-mile island in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, reached by ferry from Kennacraig on the mainland. Nine working distilleries operate on Islay, more than on any other Scottish island, and the peated single malts produced here carry the island's name across the world. Around three thousand two hundred people live among the lochs, farms and Atlantic-facing beaches. The wind seldom drops for long.

from the studio
Islay
— bring it home

Islay, 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 Islay

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

Islay (pronounced eye-luh) is the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides, about 25 miles long and covering 239 square miles, with a resident population near 3,200 (National Records of Scotland). It lies off Scotland's west coast across the Sound of Jura, reached by Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen or Port Askaig. The island has nine operating malt-whisky distilleries: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman and Ardnahoe, the highest concentration of working distilleries on any Scottish island (Scotch Whisky Association).

— the air

The prevailing southwesterly carries Atlantic air across the island in every season, so the salt sits on lips by mid-morning. Peat smoke from drying malt at the Kildalton distilleries (Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg) drifts inland on still days and gives the air its other signature. Winter brings around 30,000 Greenland white-fronted and barnacle geese to the Loch Gruinart and Loch Indaal flats, an internationally significant population watched from the RSPB hide at Aoradh (RSPB).

— informed by RSPB Loch Gruinart
— the visit

The ferry from Kennacraig runs daily to Port Ellen or Port Askaig, a crossing of just over two hours (Caledonian MacBrayne). Most distilleries take visitors by booking. The Feis Ile festival in late May opens private warehouses and rotates open days through every working distillery on the island. Outside festival week the roads are quiet and most visitors drive a loop taking in Bowmore, the Mull of Oa cliffs and the 8th-century Kildalton High Cross.

— informed by Caledonian MacBrayne
— where
United Kingdom · Argyll and Bute, Scotland
— position
55.7700° N · 6.2000° 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.
1 km E
Jura
island
22 km N
Colonsay
island
at the lake
Bowmore
village
14 km S
Port Ellen
ferry village
25 km E
Kintyre Peninsula
peninsula
N
Islay
Jura
Colonsay
Bowmore
Port Ellen
Kintyre Peninsula
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Eye-luh. The 's' is silent. The name comes from the Old Norse Íl, possibly meaning 'swelling' or referring to a personal name. The Scottish Gaelic form of the name is Ìle.

Nine are in operation: Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman and Ardnahoe. Port Ellen has been reopened for production and Portintruan is under construction.

The malted barley is dried over fires of locally cut peat. Compounds released by the burning peat bind to the grain and carry through distillation. The Kildalton distilleries on the south coast produce the most heavily peated styles.

By car ferry from Kennacraig on the Kintyre peninsula to Port Ellen or Port Askaig, a crossing of just over two hours. Loganair flies from Glasgow to Islay Airport at Glenegedale in roughly 40 minutes.

The Islay Festival of Malt and Music, held annually in late May. Each working distillery hosts an open day in turn through the week; rare bottlings are released and traditional music sessions run across the island's hotels.

About 3,200 year-round residents, concentrated in Bowmore (the largest settlement), Port Ellen and Port Charlotte. The population has held roughly steady over the past two decades as the distilling industry has expanded.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well with cask owners, Feis Ile regulars and distillery-tour enthusiasts. The piece reads as the island, not as a bottle. A Small or Medium with a studio note ships well to Scotch collectors.

The stained-glass palette of Atlantic blues and peat-amber sits in Scottish-traditional, Mountain-modern and warm-eclectic rooms. The piece carries against tweed, oak panelling and brass without the room needing to match.

A single Large carries a standard sofa or console. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural extends the coastline across the room; a 9-tile Mural is the focal-point option for a study or bar.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for steam, splash and daily wiping. The colour lives in the surface and humidity will not lift it.

A soft microfibre cloth and a little water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so daily care does not affect the pigment.

Yes. Each WenderVista piece is drawn and hand-finished in our Knoxville studio. We do not license the artwork and the piece is not sold through outside retailers.

— 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.