Wender·Vista
Madison Boulder erratic
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew Hampshire
in the woods near Madison, New Hampshire

Madison Boulder erratic

— — a stone the ice put down and forgot.

— 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 single boulder the ice age dropped in a forest clearing east of Conway. Eighty-three feet long, twenty-three feet above the ground, weighing somewhere around five thousand tons. The ice pulled it off the side of a mountain ridge a few miles north, carried it a short distance, and let it go when the climate warmed. It has sat in the same spot ever since, mossed on the north face, dry lichen on the south.

from the studio
Madison Boulder erratic
— bring it home

Madison Boulder erratic, 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 Boulder erratic

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 Madison Boulder Natural Area lies off Boulder Road in the town of Madison, New Hampshire, about ten miles east of Conway. The state-owned reserve covers roughly 17 acres of pine and hardwood forest around the boulder itself. A short path from the small gravel lot reaches the stone in five minutes. The land was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1970, recognising it as one of the largest known glacial erratics in North America.

— the stone

The boulder is a single block of Conway granite measuring 83 feet long, 23 feet above the ground, and 37 feet wide. Estimates of total mass run to roughly 5,000 tons. The same granite outcrops along Whitton Ledge, about two miles north, and geologists place the source there. The ice sheet sheared the block off, carried it south during the last glacial maximum, and dropped it as the ice retreated some 12,000 years ago. It has not moved since.

— the silence

The clearing around the boulder holds quietly. There is no fee, no ranger, no gift shop. A wooden interpretive sign at the base gives the dimensions; the rest is left to the visitor. Hemlocks and white pines screen the stone from the road, and traffic along Boulder Road runs light. The site closes to vehicles in winter when the access road is unplowed, though snowshoes reach it without difficulty. The early-morning hours through summer are the most still.

— informed by NH State Parks
— where
United States · Madison, Carroll County, New Hampshire
— within
Madison Boulder Natural Area
— position
43.9242° N · 71.1714° 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.
3 km S
Madison
town
16 km NW
Conway
town
4 km SE
Silver Lake
lake
N
Madison Boulder erratic
Madison
Conway
Silver Lake
— common questions

What people ask.

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

83 feet long, 23 feet above ground, and 37 feet wide. Its total mass is estimated at about 5,000 tons, making it one of the largest glacial erratics in North America.

The Laurentide ice sheet sheared the block off a ridge to the north, carried it south during the last ice age, and dropped it as the ice retreated about 12,000 years ago.

From the Conway granite outcrops along Whitton Ledge, about two miles north of the present site. The rock type matches and the ice's travel direction lines up.

No. The Madison Boulder Natural Area is a state reserve, open to the public year-round at no charge. There is a small gravel parking area off Boulder Road.

New Hampshire purchased the surrounding land in 1946. The National Park Service designated the boulder a National Natural Landmark in 1970, recognising it as a site of national geologic interest.

— about the piece in your home

It has been. The boulder is a touchstone for ice-age geology in New England. A Small reads well on a desk; a Medium frames cleanly in a study or classroom.

Mountain-modern, Mid-century Modern, and quieter Maximalist rooms hold it best. The stone greys and forest greens sit comfortably with warm wood, leather, brass, and unbleached wool.

Yes. Biophilic and forest-modern palettes have moved into the mainstream over the past few years, and a single-stone tile reads cleanly without leaning rustic or theatrical.

A Large reads above a console or in a stairwell. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the width; a 9-tile Mural anchors a larger wall in an open living area.

Yes. Order it in Dura Satin for a backsplash or shower wall, or Matte for a powder room. The colour lives in the surface and does not lift in steam.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive sponges, no glass cleaner, no bleach. The thin glossy finish wipes clean and the colour underneath does not shift.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house by Reid Wender, the curator, and slowly infused into the ceramic under high heat and pressure. Single studio, no licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

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