Wender·Vista
Austin
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
on the Colorado River, at the edge of the Texas Hill Country

Austin

— — a river town that learned to sing after sundown.

— 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 capital of Texas, set on the Colorado River where the Hill Country begins. Live oaks, limestone bluffs, the pink granite dome of the Capitol holding the skyline. At dusk the Mexican free-tailed bats stream out from under Congress Avenue Bridge and the music starts somewhere west of downtown. The studio knows Austin by the long warm light across Lady Bird Lake.

from the studio
Austin
— bring it home

Austin, 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 Austin

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

Austin is the capital of Texas and the seat of Travis County, set on the Colorado River where the Edwards Plateau drops into the Blackland Prairie. The city population reached about 975,000 in the 2023 estimate, with a metropolitan area near 2.5 million, making it the fastest-growing major city in the United States across the previous decade. It was chosen as the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839 and named for Stephen F. Austin, the empresario remembered as the founder of Anglo-American Texas. The Hill Country begins immediately west along the Balcones Escarpment.

— the stone

The pink granite of the Texas State Capitol gives the city its anchor. Completed in 1888 under architect Elijah E. Myers, the dome rises 92.2 metres, taller than the United States Capitol in Washington. The stone was quarried at Granite Mountain near Marble Falls, about 80 kilometres northwest, and hauled in by a railway built for the purpose. Limestone from the Edwards Plateau runs through the older university and downtown buildings, including the 1933 Main Building tower at the University of Texas, the city's other vertical landmark.

— the water

The Colorado River, dammed in 1960 to form Lady Bird Lake, holds the centre of the city in a 416-acre reservoir kept at a constant level for paddlers and the rowing crews. Barton Springs, fed by the Edwards Aquifer at a steady 20°C in every season, has been a public swimming hole since the 1920s and is one of the largest natural springs in Texas. The city's water identity belongs to these two surfaces and the Highland Lakes chain west of town along the Colorado.

— where
United States · Austin, Travis County, Texas
— elevation
149 m · 489 ft
— position
30.2672° N · 97.7431° 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 N
Texas State Capitol
pink granite capitol
1 km S
Lady Bird Lake
Colorado River reservoir
3 km SW
Barton Springs
natural spring pool
1 km S
Congress Avenue Bridge
bat-roost river bridge
N
Austin
Texas State Capitol
Lady Bird Lake
Barton Springs
Congress Avenue Bridge
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Austin is the capital of Texas, set on the Colorado River in Travis County. It sits at the edge of the Hill Country, about 265 kilometres south of Dallas and 265 kilometres west of Houston.

The Texas State Capitol dome rises about 92.2 metres, taller than the United States Capitol in Washington. It was completed in 1888 from pink granite quarried at Granite Mountain near Marble Falls.

A colony of roughly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roosts under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge from March through October. The nightly emergence at dusk is the largest urban bat colony in North America.

Barton Springs is a spring-fed pool in Zilker Park, fed by the Edwards Aquifer and held at a steady 20°C across every season. It has been a public swimming hole since the 1920s and stays open in every month.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable, with March through May and October through November offering daytime highs in the twenties Celsius. Summers run hot, regularly above 35°C from June through September.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with ties to Austin. The piece reads as the city of warm river light, live oaks, and the pink Capitol dome. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The warm rose granite, river blues, and live-oak greens suit warm-modern, Southwest-modern, and Texas-traditional rooms. It also reads well against natural oak, soft white plaster, and blackened steel.

A single Large reads cleanly above most consoles. Above a full sofa, a four-tile Mural carries the wall; a nine-tile Mural is the right scale for a long sectional or an open dining wall.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate the humidity of bathrooms and the splash of kitchens. Glossy is reserved for framed wall pieces away from steam and grease.

A microfibre cloth with plain water is enough. Avoid abrasive sponges, ammonia, and citrus cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift with normal cleaning over the life of the piece.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no third-party catalogue; the eye behind every place is Reid Wender's.

— if this one stayed with you

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