Wender·Vista
Oahu
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the central Hawaiian Islands

Oahu

— — the third island, where the city meets the trade winds.

— 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 third-largest Hawaiian island and the one most people mean when they say Hawaii. Honolulu sits on the south shore, Waikiki below Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor cutting its lochs into the west. The Koolau range stands behind town like a green wall. The North Shore brings the winter swell. The windward side keeps the rain.

from the studio
Oahu
— bring it home

Oahu, 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 Oahu

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

Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 1,545 square kilometres, formed by two shield volcanoes, the older Waianae range on the west and the younger Koolau range on the east, whose collapsed remnants now define the island's skyline. The state capital, Honolulu, sits on the south coast and holds about 350,000 people; the wider county takes in the entire island, about a million in total. Oahu is the most populous and most visited of the eight main Hawaiian islands.

— the air

Northeast trade winds blow across the island roughly 270 days a year, hitting the Koolau wall first and dropping most of their rain on the windward side. The town of Kaneohe averages about 1,800 millimetres of rain a year; Honolulu, in the leeward rain shadow ten kilometres away, averages about 460. The same wind drives the windward surf at Makapuu and Sandy Beach and keeps Waikiki, on the protected south shore, warm and calm. Locals read the day by which way the clouds are stacking on the ridge.

— the visit

Three landmarks structure most visits. Diamond Head, the eroded tuff cone above Waikiki, is a 1.1-kilometre walk up to a wartime observation post with a 360-degree view; entry is reserved in advance for non-residents at five dollars a person. Pearl Harbor, on the west side of Honolulu, holds the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. The North Shore (Haleiwa, Waimea Bay, Pipeline) is an hour's drive from town and runs its competitive surf season from November through February.

— where
United States · Honolulu County, Hawaii
— position
21.4389° N · 158.0001° 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.
at the lake
Honolulu
state capital
5 km S
Waikiki
beach district
7 km S
Diamond Head
volcanic tuff cone
17 km W
Pearl Harbor
naval harbour and memorial
50 km N
North Shore
surf coast
N
Oahu
Honolulu
Waikiki
Diamond Head
Pearl Harbor
North Shore
— common questions

What people ask.

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

No. Hawaii Island, often called the Big Island, is the largest by area at over 10,000 square kilometres. Oahu is third, after Maui, but holds about two-thirds of the state's population.

The Hawaiian name is often translated as 'the gathering place,' though the etymology is uncertain. The traditional moku districts gathered around the island's deep valleys and its two volcanic ranges.

November through February. Winter storms in the North Pacific generate the long-period swells that produce the named breaks at Pipeline, Sunset, and Waimea. Summer waves are small and the same beaches turn gentle.

About 17 kilometres west, around a 30-minute drive without traffic. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the USS Arizona Memorial visitor centre are run by the National Park Service and are free to enter.

It is a tuff cone formed in a single explosive eruption roughly 300,000 years ago, on the flank of the older Koolau volcano. It has not erupted since and is not considered active.

— about the piece in your home

It reads as home for many of our customers from the island. The tile carries the Koolau wall and the south-shore light rather than a single resort image, which is how most kamaaina see their place.

Coastal-modern, Tropical-Modern, and Mountain-modern rooms all suit it. The deep greens and ocean blues sit well with rattan, light oak, and white plaster walls.

A single Large suits a console wall. A four-tile Mural reads better above a sofa, and a nine-tile Mural anchors a larger feature wall or hallway.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and hold up to humidity. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces.

A microfibre cloth and water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish and will not wipe off.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is created in our Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's eye. We do not license imagery from other artists, and the work does not appear in any other catalogue.

— if this one stayed with you

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