Wender·Vista
Crater Lake
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon
in southern Oregon's Cascade Range, inside a collapsed volcano

Crater Lake

— a blue with nothing else to compare to.

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 deepest lake in the United States, held in the caldera left when Mount Mazama collapsed about 7,700 years ago. No streams run in. Water enters only as snow and rain falling on the rim, which is why the colour reads the way it does. Visitors stop at the first overlook and stay longer than they meant to. There is not much to say about it from the road, and most people don't try. from the studio

from the studio
Crater Lake
— bring it home

Crater Lake, 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 Crater Lake

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

Crater Lake sits at 6,178 feet in the southern Oregon Cascades, the centerpiece of Crater Lake National Park. The lake fills the caldera left when Mount Mazama, a roughly 12,000-foot composite volcano, collapsed about 7,700 years ago in an eruption many times larger than Mount St. Helens in 1980. At 1,943 feet deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth-deepest in the world. The 33-mile Rim Drive circles the caldera. Wizard Island, a younger cinder cone, breaks the surface near the western shore.

the colour

The lake holds a deep cobalt because it is exceptionally clear and exceptionally deep. With no inflowing streams, water enters only as snowmelt and rain falling on the caldera, so the column carries almost no sediment. Secchi-disk readings have measured past 130 feet of visibility. The long red wavelengths of sunlight are absorbed within the deep water and the short blue wavelengths scatter back to the eye. On a calm summer day with the sun overhead, the surface reads as the most saturated blue most visitors will ever see in fresh water.

the visit

The park is open year-round, but the full Rim Drive is only open mid-summer to mid-fall. East Rim Drive typically reopens in late June or July and closes by November with the first sustained snow. The Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only legal route down to the shore, drops 700 feet in a little over a mile and is open July through mid-September. Boat tours to Wizard Island leave from Cleetwood Cove when staffing allows. Entry is $30 per vehicle in summer, $20 in winter; an annual pass is $55.

where
United States · Klamath County, Oregon
within
Crater Lake National Park
elevation
1,883 m · 6,178 ft
position
42.9446° N · 122.1090° 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.
4 km W
Wizard Island
volcanic cone in the lake
at the lake
Rim Village
overlook and visitor area
6 km E
Mount Scott
highest peak in the park
5 km SE
Phantom Ship
rock formation in the lake
3 km N
Cleetwood Cove
lake-access trailhead
N
Crater Lake
Wizard Island
Rim Village
Mount Scott
Phantom Ship
Cleetwood Cove
common questions

What people ask.

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

Crater Lake measures 1,943 feet at its deepest point, making it the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth-deepest in the world. It fills the caldera left by the collapse of Mount Mazama.

It formed when Mount Mazama collapsed about 7,700 years ago in a major eruption. The empty caldera filled over centuries with snowmelt and rain, with no inflowing or outflowing streams.

The water is exceptionally pure because it is fed only by snow and rain on the caldera. In the deep, clear column, sunlight's red wavelengths are absorbed and the blue wavelengths scatter back, producing a saturated cobalt.

Yes, from Cleetwood Cove, the only legal lake access. The trail drops 700 feet in just over a mile and is open July through mid-September. The water stays cold even in summer, typically in the 50s.

Wizard Island is a small cinder cone that built up on the caldera floor after Mount Mazama collapsed. It rises about 760 feet above the lake surface and is reachable by boat tour when staffing permits.

July through September brings the most reliable access: full Rim Drive open, Cleetwood Cove Trail open, and boat tours running. October adds quieter overlooks; winter requires snowshoes or skis on most of the rim.

about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many customers with a memory of the rim. The cobalt in the tile is the colour the lake actually gives back on a clear day. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note carries well.

The deep blue and basalt-grey palette reads well in mountain-modern rooms, minimalist coastal palettes, and jewel-tone maximalist spaces. It holds against warm wood and pale walls without competing.

Yes. The current mountain-modern direction leans on natural stone, warm wood, and one deep blue or evergreen as the colour anchor. A Crater Lake tile carries that anchor without dominating.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large fills the wall with one quiet image; a 4-tile Mural gives a larger statement, and a 9-tile Mural carries above a long console or a king bed.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with steam or splash. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not fade in humid rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. For a kitchen tile, a drop of mild dish soap on the cloth lifts cooking film. No abrasive pads, no bleach, no ammonia cleaners.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is created in our Knoxville studio under Reid Wender's eye. The artwork is not licensed from anywhere else and the tiles are hand-finished here.

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