Wender·Vista
Augustine Volcano
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileAlaska · United States
rising from lower Cook Inlet, across the water from Homer

Augustine Volcano

— — a perfect cone, when the weather lets you see it.

— 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

“An uninhabited island in lower Cook Inlet, its volcanic cone visible from Homer on a clear day across roughly 110 kilometres of salt water. The most active volcano in this stretch of the Aleutian arc, last erupting in 2006. Float planes circle it for the view and bush pilots out of Homer time their loops to the long evening light. Nobody overnights here. from the studio

from the studio
Augustine Volcano
— bring it home

Augustine Volcano, 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 Augustine Volcano

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

Augustine Volcano is a 1,260-metre stratovolcano forming its own island in lower Cook Inlet, about 280 kilometres south-west of Anchorage and 110 kilometres across the water from Homer. The cone has built itself from sea level over roughly the last 40,000 years through a series of lava-dome eruptions and collapses. The island sits within the coastal waters of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve and falls under the Alaska Volcano Observatory's primary monitoring network. The mountain is uninhabited; the nearest settlement is the village of Nanwalek across the inlet.

— the year

Augustine erupts roughly every three to four decades. The Alaska Volcano Observatory documents major eruptions in 1812, 1883, 1935, 1963, 1976, 1986, and most recently from January through March 2006. Each cycle starts with a seismic swarm, builds a new lava dome at the summit, then collapses into pyroclastic flows that reach the shoreline. Between cycles the mountain sits quiet, snow-banded, the older domes weathering into the lower flanks. AVO web cameras at Homer and Lake Clark watch the cone continuously.

— informed by AVO eruption history
— the silence

There are no roads, no trails, no cabins. The island is closed to recreation during active periods and rarely visited even when AVO drops the alert level to green. Halibut boats out of Homer give the shoreline a wide berth in case of debris flows. Bald eagles nest on the sea cliffs. Most who see Augustine see it across the inlet, the cone catching the long evening light long after Homer Spit has gone dark on the eastern shore.

— informed by Lake Clark NPS
— where
United States · Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
— elevation
1,260 m · 4,134 ft
— position
59.3633° N · 153.4350° 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.
110 km NE
Homer
harbour town
70 km E
Nanwalek
village
75 km NW
Iliamna Volcano
stratovolcano
80 km W
Lake Clark National Park
national park
N
Augustine Volcano
Homer
Nanwalek
Iliamna Volcano
Lake Clark National Park
— common questions

What people ask.

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

It forms Augustine Island in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, about 280 kilometres south-west of Anchorage and 110 kilometres across open water from Homer. The island is uninhabited and largely closed to recreational landings.

The most recent eruption ran from January through March 2006, with pyroclastic flows reaching the coast on the north and east flanks. Earlier eruptions in 1986, 1976, 1963, 1935, 1883 and 1812 are well documented.

The summit reaches 1,260 metres, or 4,134 feet. The cone has built itself over roughly the last 40,000 years through repeated lava-dome growth and collapse, with each cycle adding a new layer to the flanks.

Landings are discouraged. The Alaska Volcano Observatory monitors the island continuously and the National Park Service treats it as a hazard zone. Charter pilots from Homer fly the perimeter for views without setting down on the island.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory, a joint programme of the USGS, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the State of Alaska. AVO runs seismometers, web cameras and satellite watches and posts daily activity updates at avo.alaska.edu.

It sits above the subduction zone where the Pacific Plate slides beneath the North American Plate. The eastern Aleutian arc concentrates magma at shallow depth, and Augustine's young plumbing erupts more often than its neighbours Iliamna and Redoubt.

— about the piece in your home

Anyone who has flown the Kenai coast or fished out of Homer knows the cone on the horizon. The tile reads warmly for Alaskans and for visitors who remember a Cook Inlet crossing. A Medium with a studio note carries well.

The volcanic blacks and snow-banded whites read cleanly against Scandinavian modern, mountain-modern, and Alaska-coastal interiors. The piece holds its own on dark wood, cool plaster, and pale wool textures.

The piece anchors a mountain-modern room without leaning into the antler-and-plaid cliché. The cone silhouette and cool inlet blues give a graphic centre that pairs with linen, granite, and brushed steel.

A single Large suits a console; a 4-tile Mural anchors most sofa walls, and a 9-tile Mural carries an open-plan great room. Centre the piece at 145 to 150 cm from the floor.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratches and steam and clean with a microfibre cloth. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall installations away from direct spray.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish, so a gentle wipe is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and ammonia-based sprays.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is painted in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language by Reid Wender, the curator. No licensing, no stock imagery, no third-party franchises.

— if this one stayed with you

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