Wender·Vista
Maroon Bells
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the Elk Mountains southwest of Aspen, above Maroon Lake

Maroon Bells

— — two red peaks the lake keeps a copy of.

— 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

“Two maroon mudstone peaks above a still glacial lake, the most photographed mountains in Colorado and not by accident. The light hits the bells at dawn and turns the rock briefly the colour the name promises. Aspens hold the foreground in late September. By eight in the morning the parking lot has filled and the shuttle bus is the only way in. from the studio

from the studio
Maroon Bells
— bring it home

Maroon Bells, 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 Maroon Bells

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

The Maroon Bells are two adjacent fourteeners in the Elk Mountains of Colorado, about ten miles southwest of Aspen. Maroon Peak rises to 14,163 feet and North Maroon Peak to 14,019 feet, separated by a saddle and reflected together in Maroon Lake at 9,580 feet. The peaks sit within the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness inside White River National Forest, reached from Aspen by Maroon Creek Road and a regulated shuttle service.

— informed by Wikipedia, USFS
— the colour

The maroon comes from hematite, the iron oxide that stains the Mesozoic Maroon Formation mudstone laid down roughly 300 million years ago. The same iron makes the peaks famously friable. Climbers know them as the Deadly Bells, named in a 1965 Forest Service warning after eight deaths that summer. The colour deepens through the autumn weeks when the surrounding aspens shift to a yellow that reads almost orange against the rust-coloured rock.

— informed by USGS
— the visit

From mid-May through October the road is closed to private vehicles during daytime; access runs via the Maroon Bells shuttle from Aspen Highlands, with timed reservations required. The Maroon Lake Scenic Loop is a gentle 1-mile walk to the classic view. Peak foliage usually arrives in the last ten days of September. Sunrise on a calm morning gives the still reflection the photograph is famous for; afternoon thunderstorms are common above 12,000 feet through August.

— informed by Aspen Chamber
— where
United States · Pitkin County, Colorado
— within
White River National Forest
— elevation
4,317 m · 14,163 ft
— position
39.0708° N · 106.9890° 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.
16 km NE
Aspen
ski town
0.5 km E
Maroon Lake
alpine lake
2.4 km SW
Crater Lake
tarn
14 km N
Snowmass
ski village
N
Maroon Bells
Aspen
Maroon Lake
Crater Lake
Snowmass
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Maroon Peak rises to 14,163 feet and North Maroon Peak to 14,019 feet, making both summits Colorado fourteeners. They sit roughly a third of a mile apart, separated by a steep saddle in the Elk Mountains.

The rock is mudstone of the Maroon Formation, coloured by hematite, an iron oxide deposited about 300 million years ago. The same iron content makes the rock unusually loose and earned the peaks the climbers' nickname the Deadly Bells.

In the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest, about ten miles southwest of Aspen, Colorado. Maroon Lake at the base sits at 9,580 feet in Pitkin County.

From mid-May through October a timed-reservation shuttle runs from Aspen Highlands; private vehicles are restricted during the day. Outside shuttle hours a parking reservation is required. Winter access is on foot or skis from the closure gate.

Aspen turn typically peaks in the final ten days of September, with the exact week shifting year to year. Calm, cold mornings give the still reflection in Maroon Lake that the place is photographed for.

Both peaks are technical climbs on notoriously loose rock. The Forest Service named them the Deadly Bells after eight fatalities in 1965 and still posts the warning at the trailhead. Most visitors stop at the lake.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well. The Bells are the image most associated with the upper Roaring Fork Valley and a familiar one to anyone who has driven Maroon Creek Road. A Medium or Large with a studio note has worked for many of our Colorado-tied customers.

The maroon rock and gold aspen lift mountain-modern, lodge interiors, and warm-neutral rooms with leather and brass. It also reads cleanly in jewel-tone-on-cream spaces and in a quiet study with walnut shelving.

Yes. The autumn-rust and aspen-gold palette aligns with the current alpine-modern direction away from cool grey and toward warm earth tones. Pairs well with sheepskin, cast iron, and unfinished oak.

Above a standard sofa, the Large at roughly 24 inches reads correctly across the room. For a wider wall, a 4-tile Mural opens up the lake foreground. Above a console, the Medium holds the composition.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam and humidity. The Glossy finish is best kept to dry framed-wall locations in living rooms, hallways, and offices.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water handles routine dust. For anything stickier, a damp cloth with a drop of mild dish soap. Skip abrasives, ammonia-based glass sprays, and bleach-based cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to the studio, curated by Reid Wender, hand-finished in Knoxville. The piece is not licensed or sold through any other channel.

— if this one stayed with you

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