shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona

in the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson

Madera Canyon

Name: Madera Canyon — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — the canyon the birds come to from two continents.

— 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

— 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 wooded canyon on the north face of the Santa Ritas, cooler than the desert below and shaded by Arizona sycamore. More than 250 species of birds have been recorded here, including the elegant trogon that crosses up from Mexico each spring. The creek runs after summer monsoon and after winter rain. The road ends at the trailhead for Mount Wrightson, the high peak above.

from the studio

— bring it home

Madera Canyon, 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 Madera Canyon

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

Madera Canyon cuts the north slope of the Santa Rita Mountains in the Coronado National Forest, about 25 miles south of Tucson. The canyon rises from roughly 4,000 feet at its mouth to 9,453 feet at the summit of Mount Wrightson, the highest peak in the range. The single road, Madera Canyon Road, climbs to a small cluster of lodges, picnic areas, and the Mount Wrightson trailhead.

— informed by Wikipedia, US Forest Service

— the air

The elevation lifts the canyon out of the Sonoran Desert and into oak woodland, then pine and fir higher up. Daytime summer temperatures run ten to fifteen degrees cooler than Tucson, and the canyon catches afternoon monsoon storms from July through September. Arizona sycamores trace the creekbed, their pale trunks against the dark rock. Above 7,000 feet ponderosa pine takes over and the air carries the warm vanilla resin of the bark.

— informed by US Forest Service

— the visit

A Coronado National Forest day-use fee of $8 per vehicle is collected at the upper canyon. Several small lodges sit along the road and hummingbird feeders draw crowds in late summer. The Mount Wrightson trail is about 10.6 miles round trip with 4,000 feet of gain. April through May and August through October are the strongest birding windows; the elegant trogon arrives in spring and stays into early autumn.

— informed by Friends of Madera Canyon

— where

United States · Santa Cruz County, Arizona

— within

Coronado National Forest

— elevation

1,500 m · 4,920 ft

— position

31.7263° N · 110.8806° 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.

6 km S

Mount Wrightson

peak

19 km W

Green Valley

town

40 km N

Tucson

city

Madera Canyon

Mount Wrightson

Green Valley

Tucson

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Madera Canyon — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

More than 250 bird species have been recorded in the canyon, including the elegant trogon, painted redstart, and fifteen species of hummingbird. Its mix of Sonoran, oak woodland, and pine habitats sits along a migration corridor up from Mexico.

In the Santa Rita Mountains, about 25 miles south of Tucson within the Coronado National Forest. The mouth of the canyon is reached from Interstate 19 at Green Valley by way of Madera Canyon Road.

The road tops out near 5,500 feet at the upper trailhead. From there the Old Baldy and Super trails climb Mount Wrightson, the high peak of the Santa Ritas at 9,453 feet. The summit climb gains about 4,000 vertical feet.

Trogons typically arrive from northern Mexico in mid-April and remain through late summer to nest. They are most often heard before they are seen, calling from oak and sycamore along the creek.

Yes. The Coronado National Forest charges $8 per vehicle for day use in the upper canyon. America the Beautiful interagency passes are accepted in lieu of the fee at the self-pay station.

— about the piece in your home

Often it is. Madera Canyon is a name birders know across the country, and the canyon's sycamore and oak read clearly in the piece. A Medium reads well in a study or beside a reading chair.

The greens, ochres, and stone tones sit well with desert-modern, southwestern, and warm rustic rooms. The colour cross-references oak, leather, hand-thrown stoneware, and wool throws.

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

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to steam and humidity, 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

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.