Wender·Vista
Lake Havasu desert reservoir
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
on the Colorado River, between Arizona and California

Lake Havasu desert reservoir

— — a blue line through bare desert hills.

— 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 long reservoir on the Colorado River, held back by Parker Dam since 1938 and pinned between the Whipple and Mohave mountains. The water reads cobalt against pale desert rock, with the relocated London Bridge crossing a channel at the south end. The lake runs about forty-five miles between Lake Havasu City and Topock Gorge. — from the studio

from the studio
Lake Havasu desert reservoir
— bring it home

Lake Havasu desert reservoir, 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 Lake Havasu desert reservoir

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

Lake Havasu is a reservoir on the Colorado River formed by Parker Dam, completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1938 as the deepest dam of its kind, roughly 73 percent of its 320-foot height set below the original riverbed. The lake stretches about 45 miles between Parker Dam and Topock Gorge along the Arizona–California border, with a normal surface elevation near 450 feet. Lake Havasu City, founded in 1963 by businessman Robert P. McCulloch, sits on the Arizona shore in Mohave County.

— the stone

The most-recognised structure on the lake is the original London Bridge, the 1831 granite arch span that crossed the Thames in central London until it was dismantled and shipped to Arizona. McCulloch bought the bridge in 1968 for 2,460,000 dollars, and the reconstructed span opened over a dredged channel at the south end of Lake Havasu City on October 10, 1971. The Whipple and Mohave mountains frame the lake on the Arizona and California shores in bare, rust-coloured volcanic rock.

— the visit

Lake Havasu City is reached by State Route 95 between Interstate 40 to the north and Interstate 10 to the south, roughly two and a half hours from both Las Vegas and Phoenix. Lake Havasu State Park, on the Arizona shore just north of the London Bridge, runs a sand beach, boat ramps, and the Mohave Sunset Trail. The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge protects the upper end of the lake near Parker Dam.

— where
United States · Mohave County, Arizona
— within
Lake Havasu State Park
— elevation
134 m · 440 ft
— position
34.4839° N · 114.3225° 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 S
London Bridge at Lake Havasu City
relocated bridge
40 km N
Topock Gorge
Colorado River canyon
25 km S
Parker Dam
Colorado River dam
N
Lake Havasu desert reservoir
London Bridge at Lake Havasu City
Topock Gorge
Parker Dam
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Lake Havasu desert reservoir — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Lake Havasu sits on the Colorado River along the Arizona–California border, in Mohave County, Arizona. Lake Havasu City lies on the Arizona shore, reached by State Route 95, roughly two and a half hours from both Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Lake Havasu was created by Parker Dam, completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1938 on the Colorado River. About 73 percent of the dam's 320-foot height sits below the original riverbed, making it the deepest dam of its kind.

The lake stretches roughly 45 miles between Parker Dam at the south end and Topock Gorge at the north end. Surface elevation sits near 450 feet, with a maximum depth of about 90 feet near the dam at full pool.

Yes. The 1831 granite arch span that crossed the Thames in central London was dismantled, shipped to Arizona, and rebuilt over a dredged channel at Lake Havasu City. Robert McCulloch bought it in 1968, and the reconstructed bridge opened on October 10, 1971.

Lake Havasu City was founded in 1963 by businessman Robert P. McCulloch as a planned community on the Arizona shore of the reservoir. The town was incorporated in 1978 and now serves as the commercial hub of the Mohave County lakeshore.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for that. The piece reads the lake the way locals see it from the Arizona shore, cobalt water against bare desert hills, with the London Bridge at the south end. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio fits.

The cobalt-and-rust palette reads well in Desert-modern, Coastal-modern, and Mediterranean rooms. It also pairs well in a Maximalist arrangement with other Southwest water and canyon pieces in warm and blue tones.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large covers the wall on its own. For a longer console or wider living room wall, a four-tile Mural reads as one composition. A nine-tile Mural anchors a full feature wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installations near steam or splash. The Glossy finish is meant for framed wall pieces in drier rooms.

A microfibre cloth and plain water handle ordinary dust. For a kitchen or bathroom install, the same cloth with a mild non-abrasive cleaner is enough; the colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift.

Yes. The Lake Havasu piece is part of Reid Wender's Arizona series, made and hand-finished by a single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no outside licensing and no other manufacturer carries this work.

— 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.