Wender·Vista
Oakland
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
across the bay from San Francisco

Oakland

— — the city the water and the hills hold between them.

— 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 working port city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, with the Oakland Hills rising green behind it. Lake Merritt sits in the middle of downtown, a tidal lagoon ringed by a necklace of lights since 1925. The neighbourhoods are distinct: Temescal, Rockridge, Fruitvale, Chinatown, each with its own grain. The coast redwoods come down to the city's eastern edge. — from the studio

from the studio
Oakland
— bring it home

Oakland, 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 Oakland

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

Oakland sits on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in Alameda County, California, with a population of about 440,000. The Port of Oakland, opened in 1927, is the third-busiest container port on the U.S. west coast after Los Angeles and Long Beach. The city stretches from the bay's flatlands east into the Oakland Hills, where Redwood Regional Park preserves a second-growth stand of coast redwoods descended from a grove the 19th-century sawmills cut to the ground to build San Francisco.

— the water

Lake Merritt, in the middle of downtown, is a tidal saltwater lagoon connected to the bay through a culvert at its southern end. The mayor Samuel Merritt dammed the slough in 1869, and in 1870 the California legislature designated it the first official wildlife refuge in the United States. The 5.2-km path around its edge is one of the city's daily commons; the Necklace of Lights, strung along the shore since 1925, traces the water at night.

— informed by Wikipedia: Lake Merritt
— the air

The Oakland Hills rise to about 500 metres along the city's eastern edge, catching marine fog that the bay funnels in through the Golden Gate most summer afternoons. Redwood Regional Park, on the ridge above the Montclair neighbourhood, holds 700 hectares of second-growth coast redwoods; the trees descend from the 19th-century grove sawn out to build the city across the water. The fog drip keeps the understory in ferns and sorrel even through California's dry summers.

— where
United States · Oakland, Alameda County, California
— within
Redwood Regional Park
— position
37.8044° N · 122.2712° 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.
13 km W
San Francisco
sister city across the bay
5 km N
Berkeley
university city
24 km NW
Sausalito
Marin bay town
32 km NW
Muir Woods
redwood national monument
N
Oakland
San Francisco
Berkeley
Sausalito
Muir Woods
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Oakland sits on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in Alameda County, California, directly across the water from San Francisco. The Bay Bridge connects the two cities.

A tidal saltwater lagoon in the centre of downtown Oakland, connected to San Francisco Bay through a southern culvert. It became the first official wildlife refuge in the United States in 1870.

The Port of Oakland is the third-busiest container port on the U.S. west coast, after Los Angeles and Long Beach. It opened in 1927 and handles most of Northern California's exports.

September and October bring the warmest, driest weather, when the marine fog lifts off the bay. Spring is green; winter brings the Pacific rains and cooler days.

Redwood Regional Park, on the ridge above the Montclair neighbourhood, holds 700 hectares of second-growth coast redwoods descended from the 19th-century grove sawn to build San Francisco.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for our customers who grew up in the East Bay or who walked around Lake Merritt on lunch breaks. A Small or Medium carries well.

The piece sits comfortably in California-modern, Pacific-Coastal, and Mid-century Modern rooms. The bay greens and hill golds pair with redwood, raw plaster, and warm whites.

California-modern continues to draw on natural materials and Pacific palettes: redwood, oak, sage, fog grey. The tile anchors the room against those tones without competing.

A single Large reads well above a 1.8-metre console. Above a three-seat sofa, the 4-tile Mural fills the wall proportionally; the 9-tile Mural suits taller rooms.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle humidity and splash without affecting the colour beneath the surface.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface itself, so regular cleaning will not lift it. Avoid abrasive pads and harsh solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is by Reid Wender, the curator, in the studio's own visual language. There is no licensing in or out; the art lives only on Wender Studios surfaces.

— if this one stayed with you

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