Wender·Vista
Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon
on Coxcomb Hill, above where the Columbia meets the Pacific

Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific

— the river finding the ocean.

— 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

“From the top of the Astoria Column the Columbia widens and slides into the Pacific in one continuous sheet of water. Cargo ships wait in line at the bar, the oldest continuously operating pilotage on the West Coast. The frame of the tile holds all three at once: column, river, ocean. That is how the hill itself holds them. — from the studio

from the studio
Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific
— bring it home

Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific, 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 Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific

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 view from the Astoria Column platform takes in the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean, about 14 river miles downstream from the city of Astoria, Oregon. The column itself stands 125 feet tall on Coxcomb Hill at roughly 600 feet of elevation. The Columbia Bar, the stretch of shifting sand at the river's mouth, has earned the nickname Graveyard of the Pacific for the more than 2,000 vessel losses recorded there since systematic record-keeping began in the 1790s.

— the water

The Columbia carries an average of 265,000 cubic feet of water per second past Astoria, the highest sustained discharge of any river on the West Coast of the Americas. Where the river meets the Pacific, the freshwater plume mixes with Pacific cold to produce the standing waves and shoals that mariners read for the bar crossing. The Columbia River Bar Pilots board every commercial vessel inbound to the river, the only American pilot service to have operated continuously on the same bar since 1846.

— the visit

The viewing platform on top of the column is open daily, weather permitting, with a five-dollar annual parking pass for the surrounding park. From the railing the river and the ocean are framed together, with Washington's Long Beach Peninsula across the water to the north and the Pacific Coast Range curling south behind the city. Bring a windbreaker. Coxcomb Hill catches the prevailing westerly straight off the water, and the platform has no shelter.

— where
United States · Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon
— elevation
183 m · 600 ft
— position
46.1817° N · 123.8203° 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.
22 km W
Columbia Bar
river mouth bar
22 km NW
Cape Disappointment
headland
18 km N
Long Beach Peninsula
barrier peninsula
18 km W
Fort Stevens State Park
coastal park
1 km N
Downtown Astoria
historic downtown
N
Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific
Columbia Bar
Cape Disappointment
Long Beach Peninsula
Fort Stevens State Park
Downtown Astoria
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Astoria Column with the columbia and pacific — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The viewing platform takes in the Columbia widening into the Pacific, Washington's Long Beach Peninsula across the river, Saddle Mountain to the south, and Astoria's downtown sloping toward the riverfront below.

The mouth of the Columbia opens to the Pacific about 14 river miles west of the column. On a clear day the line where the freshwater plume meets the ocean is visible from the platform.

The Columbia Bar is the shifting sandbar at the river's mouth, known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. More than 2,000 vessels have been lost there since the 1790s, which is why bar pilots board every commercial ship.

The Columbia carries about 265,000 cubic feet per second past Astoria, the highest discharge of any river on the West Coast of the Americas. The channel is roughly three to four miles wide at the column.

Late afternoon, an hour or two before sunset, when western light hits the river plume. Mornings are often fog-bound; the platform usually clears as the sun burns the marine layer off.

The waiting ships are queued for Columbia River Bar Pilots to guide them across the bar. The pilots have boarded every commercial vessel since 1846, the oldest continuously operating pilot service in the United States.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers from Astoria, Warrenton, or Ilwaco. The view from the column is one of the recognized images of the Lower Columbia. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note carries well.

The blue-on-blue river-and-ocean palette suits Coastal-modern, Nautical-traditional, and warm Minimalist rooms. It pairs well with linen, aged brass, and weathered wood.

The piece fits the heritage-coastal and quiet-luxe directions running through interior magazines: historic working coastlines treated as fine art, paired with natural fibers and muted hardware.

The landscape format suits a Large in horizontal orientation over a sofa. A 4-tile Mural carries the river and ocean as one wide image; a 9-tile Mural treats the view as a wall-scale window.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and intended for vertical installations like backsplashes, showers, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. The colour is held inside the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so nothing wipes off or fades with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original Wender Studios work, slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure. No licensing, no third-party art.

— if this one stayed with you

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