Wender·Vista
Mt Wrightson
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
the high peak above Madera Canyon, south of Tucson

Mt Wrightson

— — the mountain the birders look up at.

— 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

“The highest summit in the Santa Ritas, rising above the oak and sycamore of Madera Canyon. Two trails climb it: the steady switchbacks of the Super Trail, and the older, steeper Old Baldy. From the top, on a clear morning, the view runs from Mount Lemmon to the Sierra Madre in Sonora. Below, Madera Canyon is one of the best birding canyons in North America. The summit air sits in pine; the trailhead air still smells of mesquite.

from the studio
Mt Wrightson
— bring it home

Mt Wrightson, 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 Mt Wrightson

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

Mount Wrightson is the high point of the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, rising to 9,453 feet (2,881 m) in the Coronado National Forest. The peak sits inside the Mount Wrightson Wilderness and is reached from the Madera Canyon trailhead, where the road ends at about 5,400 feet. The mountain is named for William Wrightson, a 19th-century mining engineer killed in the area in 1865. Two main trails climb to the summit: the steeper Old Baldy at roughly 5.4 miles one way, and the gentler Super Trail at roughly 8.1 miles.

— the air

The hike gains roughly 4,000 feet from Madera Canyon to the summit. The lower trail moves through oak and Arizona sycamore; the middle band runs through Madrean pine-oak woodland, a habitat that crosses into Sonora; the top holds ponderosa and Douglas fir. Madera Canyon itself draws birders for more than 250 recorded species, including the elegant trogon. The summit holds a small stone shelter dating to a 1950s-era fire lookout, and on clear days the view reaches into Mexico, nearly 60 miles south.

— informed by Friends of Madera Canyon
— the visit

Madera Canyon Recreation Area requires a Coronado Recreation Pass for parking; passes are sold at trailhead kiosks. The Old Baldy and Super Trail both leave from the Roundup Picnic Area at the end of the canyon road. The full round trip to the summit is a long day, typically eight to ten hours, with no water on the trail past Josephine Saddle, so carry the day's water in. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the July-August monsoon and an early start is the standard plan.

— where
United States · Santa Cruz County, Arizona
— within
Coronado National Forest
— elevation
2,881 m · 9,453 ft
— position
31.7019° N · 110.8442° 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 NW
Madera Canyon
birding canyon
25 km W
Green Valley
town
30 km SW
Tubac
historic village
N
Mt Wrightson
Madera Canyon
Green Valley
Tubac
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Mount Wrightson reaches 9,453 feet (2,881 m), the highest summit in the Santa Rita Mountains and the highest point in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.

The standard start is the Roundup Picnic Area at the top of Madera Canyon Road, about an hour south of Tucson. Both the Old Baldy and Super Trail leave from there.

Most parties take eight to ten hours round trip. Old Baldy is roughly 10.8 miles round trip; the Super Trail is about 16.2 miles. Both gain around 4,000 feet of elevation.

More than 250 bird species have been recorded in the canyon, including the elegant trogon, painted redstart, and several hummingbird species that cross from Mexico. The canyon is a globally recognized birding destination.

Mount Wrightson is named for William Wrightson, a mining engineer and editor associated with the early development of southern Arizona. He was killed near the mountain in 1865.

A small stone shelter remains on the summit from a mid-twentieth-century lookout. The lookout itself was decommissioned, but the stonework is intact and is a common shelter from afternoon weather.

— about the piece in your home

For southern Arizona hikers and birders, Wrightson is the long-day peak and the canyon below it is a life-list site. A Medium or Large hangs as a quiet trophy without trophy energy.

The piece pairs cleanly with Southwestern-modern, Desert-modern, and warm Minimalist rooms. The pine greens and high-sky tones work with mesquite wood, leather, and natural linen.

Yes. The current move in biophilic design favors a single landscape piece over photo grids. A Large mounted alone on a long wall is the cleanest way to read in that vocabulary.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural fills the wall. Over a console table, a Medium centered or a 9-tile Mural set tight gives the room its anchor.

Yes. Order it in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for bathrooms, showers, and backsplashes. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and rated for vertical wet installations.

Use a dry microfibre cloth for dust, and the same cloth with water for fingerprints or residue. No solvents, no abrasive pads, no bleach.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio and not licensed. Reid Wender curates the atlas and the work is hand-finished in Knoxville, Tennessee.

— 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.