Wender·Vista
Madison
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
on an isthmus between two lakes in southern Wisconsin

Madison

— a capital that watches the ice come and go.

— 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 Wisconsin state capital sits on a thin isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The granite-domed capitol rises in the middle of the city, the only state capitol in the country built on an isthmus. The University of Wisconsin runs along the west lake. Winter sailboats are replaced by ice fishing huts. The Saturday market around the capitol square is the largest producer-only market in the United States.

from the studio
Madison
— bring it home

Madison, 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 Madison

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

Madison sits on a narrow isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona in south-central Wisconsin, with the city extending around three further smaller lakes. It is the state capital and the home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a metropolitan population of about 680,000. The Wisconsin State Capitol building, completed in 1917, has a granite dome that is the second-tallest of any state capitol after Louisiana's, and a city ordinance restricts surrounding buildings from rising above its base.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

Lake Mendota, on the north side of the isthmus, covers 9,800 acres and reaches 83 feet deep; Lake Monona on the south covers 3,300 acres. Both freeze most winters, with average ice-on near Christmas and ice-off in early April, though warm winters have shortened that. The University of Wisconsin's Center for Limnology has tracked Mendota's ice records since 1853, one of the longest continuous lake ice datasets in the world.

— informed by UW Center for Limnology
— the season

Madison runs hard on its calendar. The Dane County Farmers' Market circles the capitol square every Saturday from late April to early November, the largest producer-only market in the United States, with around 150 vendors. Football Saturdays at Camp Randall pull 80,000 people. Winter brings ice fishing on both lakes and the long lit walk around the capitol. The Wisconsin Film Festival in April and Concerts on the Square in summer mark the warm half of the year.

— where
United States · Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin
— elevation
260 m · 853 ft
— position
43.0731° N · 89.4012° 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
Lake Mendota
lake
1 km S
Lake Monona
lake
2 km W
University of Wisconsin-Madison
university
5 km E
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
botanical garden
N
Madison
Lake Mendota
Lake Monona
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, home to the flagship University of Wisconsin, and the only state capital in the country built on an isthmus between two lakes, Mendota and Monona.

In south-central Wisconsin, about 75 miles west of Milwaukee and 150 miles northwest of Chicago. The city sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and around five lakes in total.

284 feet to the top of the statue Wisconsin atop the dome. By city ordinance, no building in Madison may rise above the base of its columns. The granite dome is the second-tallest of any state capitol.

Saturday mornings around the Wisconsin State Capitol square, from late April through early November, with a winter market indoors. It is the largest producer-only market in the United States, with about 150 vendors.

Most winters, yes. Average ice-on for Lake Mendota is near Christmas and ice-off is in early April. The University of Wisconsin has kept Mendota's ice records continuously since 1853.

— about the piece in your home

It has worked well as a gift for alumni, faculty, and Madison residents past and present. The piece reads as the isthmus city itself (capitol dome, two lakes) rather than Wisconsin in general.

Warm minimalist, mid-century modern, and cabin-modern rooms. The blue, green, and stone palette sits well with walnut, brass, and oat-coloured wool, and reads quietly against a deep green or warm white wall.

A single Large is the common choice above a standard sofa. For a longer console or wider wall a 4-tile Mural reads well. The 9-tile Mural is the statement piece in a larger room.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish, both scratch-resistant and made for vertical installation in a humid room. The Glossy finish is for framed wall art rather than splashed surfaces.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and rests beneath a thin finish, so it does not lift with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in-house under Reid Wender's eye and hand-finished in our Knoxville studio. There is no licensing and no third-party art.

— if this one stayed with you

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