Wender·Vista
Lost Dutchman State Park
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
at the base of the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix

Lost Dutchman State Park

— — the cliff that holds the last hour of light.

— 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 Sonoran park pressed against the western face of the Superstitions, named for the old prospector whose gold mine no one has ever found. Saguaros stand along the trails in their thousands. In March the brittlebush turns the slopes yellow, and in the last hour before sundown the cliff above the campground reds out like a banked fire.

from the studio
Lost Dutchman State Park
— bring it home

Lost Dutchman State Park, 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 Lost Dutchman State Park

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

Lost Dutchman State Park covers about 320 acres of Sonoran Desert at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, five miles northeast of Apache Junction on State Route 88. It is named after Jacob Waltz, the German immigrant prospector whose rumoured gold mine somewhere in the Superstitions has been searched for since his death in 1891. The park opened in 1977 and is administered by Arizona State Parks.

— the season

Spring is the long season here. From mid-February into April the brittlebush, Mexican gold poppy, and lupine bloom across the alluvial fans, and the saguaros put up white crown flowers by late April. Summer daytime highs cross 100°F by May; the park stays open but most hiking happens before sunrise. November through March is the comfortable hiking window, with daytime highs in the sixties and seventies.

— informed by Arizona State Parks
— the visit

Day-use entry is $10 per vehicle. The park has 138 campsites, a small visitor centre, and several signed trails into the Superstition Wilderness, including the Treasure Loop, Siphon Draw, and the steep route to the Flatiron summit. Sunset light hits the western cliff face directly and is the photograph most visitors come for. Watch for rattlesnakes on the lower trails in warm weather.

— informed by Arizona State Parks
— where
United States · Apache Junction, Pinal County, Arizona
— within
Lost Dutchman State Park
— elevation
671 m · 2,200 ft
— position
33.4609° N · 111.4793° 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.
0.5 km E
Superstition Wilderness
wilderness area
8 km SW
Apache Junction
town
22 km NE
Canyon Lake
reservoir
N
Lost Dutchman State Park
Superstition Wilderness
Apache Junction
Canyon Lake
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Lost Dutchman State Park — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Jacob Waltz, a German immigrant prospector who died in Phoenix in 1891. He was said to have a rich gold mine somewhere in the Superstition Mountains. The mine has never been verified, but the legend has drawn searchers ever since.

Mid-October through April. Wildflowers peak in March and the brittlebush turns the slopes yellow. Summer highs cross 100°F and hiking is limited to the hours before sunrise once May arrives.

About 320 acres of Sonoran Desert against the western face of the Superstitions. It opened in 1977 and is administered by Arizona State Parks, with 138 campsites, several trails, and a small visitor centre.

The Treasure Loop, a 2.4-mile route around the base of the cliff with views back to the saguaros and the Phoenix valley. Siphon Draw climbs harder into the rock; the Flatiron summit is a strenuous five to six hour scramble.

Day-use entry is $10 per vehicle for up to four adults. Camping is separate and ranges from non-electric to electric sites. The park is open year-round, sunrise to ten in the evening.

— about the piece in your home

Often it is. The Superstition cliff and the saguaros are the desert many Arizonans grew up with. A Medium or Large reads well in a den, a study, or an entryway.

The piece carries desert reds and golds, which sit well with southwestern, desert-modern, and warm transitional rooms. The colour cross-references leather, oak, terracotta, and unglazed pottery.

A single Large carries a six-foot sofa. Above an eight-foot sofa, a four-tile Mural opens the cliff across the wall; for a feature wall, a nine-tile Mural sets the desert at the room's scale.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to humidity and steam, which suits backsplashes, shower surrounds, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and lives in the surface itself.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in the studio's own visual language by Reid Wender and finished in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed from another source and the work is sold only through Wender Studios.

— if this one stayed with you

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