Wender·Vista
Assateague Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
off the Maryland and Virginia coast

Assateague Island

— — a long barrier of sand the horses kept.

— 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 thirty-seven-mile barrier island running south from Ocean City along the Maryland and Virginia shore, broken by an inlet the 1933 hurricane opened in a single night. Two herds of wild horses live here, one on each side of the state line, descended from animals on the island for centuries. The Atlantic surf works the eastern shore; the bayside is salt marsh and loblolly pine. The horses graze the dunes as if no one were watching.

from the studio
Assateague Island
— bring it home

Assateague Island, 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 Assateague Island

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

Assateague Island is a barrier island about 37 miles long, running south from Ocean City, Maryland, into Accomack County, Virginia. It is divided across three units — Assateague Island National Seashore at the north, Assateague State Park within the Maryland section, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge at the Virginia end. The Ocean City Inlet that separates Assateague from Fenwick Island was opened by the August 1933 hurricane and has been maintained since. The island faces the Atlantic to the east and the shallow Sinepuxent and Chincoteague Bays to the west.

— the year

The island's calendar turns on the Chincoteague Pony Swim, held the last Wednesday of July since 1925. The Saltwater Cowboys of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company drive the Virginia herd across the channel at slack tide, and most of the year's foals are auctioned the following day. Spring brings nesting piping plovers and beach closures on the dune line; autumn brings the quiet stretches when the campgrounds open back up and the green-flies have left.

— the visit

The Maryland side is reached over the Verrazano Bridge from Berlin on Route 611; the Virginia side from the town of Chincoteague on Route 175. Day-use fees apply at the Maryland entrance; the Chincoteague refuge charges separately. Oceanside camping is bookable through Recreation.gov well in advance for summer weekends. The horses are wild and the National Park Service asks visitors to keep at least 40 feet away; bites and kicks are the most common visitor injuries.

— where
United States · Worcester County, Maryland & Accomack County, Virginia
— within
Assateague Island National Seashore
— position
38.0612° N · 75.2103° 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.
5 km W
Chincoteague
harbour town
10 km N
Ocean City, MD
beach town
15 km NW
Berlin, MD
town
N
Assateague Island
Chincoteague
Ocean City, MD
Berlin, MD
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Assateague Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Assateague is a barrier island about 37 miles long running south from Ocean City, Maryland into Accomack County, Virginia. It faces the Atlantic to the east and shallow Sinepuxent and Chincoteague Bays to the west.

Yes. Two herds live on the island, one in Maryland managed by the National Park Service and one in Virginia owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Both descend from animals on the island for centuries.

The pony swim is held the last Wednesday of July, a tradition since 1925. Saltwater Cowboys drive the Virginia herd across the channel at slack tide, and most of the year's foals are auctioned the next day.

Yes. Oceanside and bayside campgrounds operate on the Maryland end through the National Seashore and the State Park. Summer weekends fill months ahead on Recreation.gov; spring and autumn are easier.

The Maryland side is reached over the Verrazano Bridge from Berlin on Route 611. The Virginia side is reached from the town of Chincoteague on Route 175. No road connects the two ends across the island.

A hurricane in August 1933 cut the Ocean City Inlet in a single night, separating Assateague from Fenwick Island to the north. The inlet has been kept open by jetties and dredging since.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many of our Mid-Atlantic customers. Assateague carries strong childhood and family weight along the Eastern Shore. A Medium with a handwritten studio note carries the place well.

The piece sits naturally in Coastal-modern, Farmhouse-coastal, and Atlantic-traditional rooms. The dune and surf palette plays against weathered oak, white shiplap, and indigo textiles without leaning on nautical cliché.

Yes. Coastal-modern continues to favour soft sand-and-sea palettes, hand-finished surfaces, and specific-place references over generic beach motifs. A Medium in Glossy holds a pale wall cleanly.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. Above a wider piece, a 4-tile Mural carries the wall. For a long beach-house entry wall, a 9-tile Mural holds the room.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installation in damp rooms. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and will not lift with humidity or salt air.

A soft microfibre cloth and water is all the surface needs. Skip abrasive pads and solvent cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic itself, not in a topcoat that could be worn away.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original work by Reid Wender, made in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed in or reproduced from another artist.

— 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.