shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States

in North Carolina's Outer Banks, between the mainland and Bodie Island

Roanoke Island

— — the island where a colony went quiet.

— 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

— 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

“Eight miles long, two miles wide, threaded between Croatan Sound and Roanoke Sound on the inner side of the Outer Banks. The island holds the town of Manteo, the wooden Elizabeth II ship at the waterfront, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site at its north end, where the first English settlement in the Americas vanished into the sounds in 1587.

from the studio

— bring it home

Roanoke Island, 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 Roanoke Island

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

Roanoke Island lies in Dare County, North Carolina, in the sounds behind the Outer Banks barrier islands. It runs about eight miles north to south and two miles east to west, separated from the mainland by Croatan Sound and from Bodie Island by Roanoke Sound. The town of Manteo sits at the eastern waterfront; Wanchese, the working fishing village, at the southern end. Highway US 64 crosses the island on the William B. Umstead Bridge from the mainland and the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge to Bodie Island.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the year

The English colony established at the north end of the island in 1587 under John White is the central historical fact of Roanoke. White returned to England for supplies and was delayed by the Spanish Armada; when he sailed back in August 1590, the settlement of roughly 115 colonists had vanished, with only the word CROATOAN carved into a post. The site is now protected as Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, administered by the National Park Service since 1941.

— informed by NPS — Fort Raleigh

— the visit

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is open daily, free of charge, with a visitor centre, the reconstructed earthworks, and the adjacent Elizabethan Gardens (a separate non-profit, ticketed). The Lost Colony outdoor drama by Paul Green, running since 1937 at the Waterside Theatre, plays Tuesday through Sunday evenings from late May to mid-August. Manteo's waterfront, including the Elizabeth II sailing ship and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, is walkable in an afternoon. The nearest airport is Norfolk International, about ninety miles north.

— informed by NPS visit page

— where

United States · Dare County, North Carolina

— within

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

— elevation

3 m · 10 ft

— position

35.8857° N · 75.6713° 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.

2 km E

Manteo

waterfront town

4 km N

Fort Raleigh

national historic site

10 km E

Nags Head

beach town

60 km SE

Cape Hatteras

national seashore

Roanoke Island

Manteo

Fort Raleigh

Nags Head

Cape Hatteras

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Roanoke Island — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The island sits in Dare County, North Carolina, in the sounds behind the Outer Banks. It is bordered by Croatan Sound on the west and Roanoke Sound on the east, with the mainland and Bodie Island reached by bridge.

Roughly 115 English colonists settled at the north end of the island in 1587 under John White. When White returned from England in 1590, the settlement was empty, with only the word CROATOAN carved into a post.

The island runs about eight miles north to south and two miles east to west, roughly twelve square miles of land. The town of Manteo lies on the eastern waterfront and Wanchese at the southern end.

Two: Manteo on the eastern waterfront, the Dare County seat with the Elizabeth II ship and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, and Wanchese at the southern end, a working fishing village named for one of the two Algonquians who travelled to England in 1584.

Yes. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is open daily, free of charge, at the north end of the island. The visitor centre, the reconstructed earthworks, and the adjacent Elizabethan Gardens (separately ticketed) draw most of the day's visitors.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for families with long Outer Banks summer-rental histories, for North Carolina natives, and for anyone marking a Manteo wedding or anniversary. The sound-and-village silhouette reads instantly. A Small or Medium ships easily.

The greys, soft blues, and marsh greens sit well in coastal-modern interiors, traditional Carolina rooms with darker wood, and any wall already leaning into estuary and sound palettes rather than open-ocean turquoise.

Outer Banks and sound-country art has built steady collector attention through the 2020s, especially work tied to specific villages rather than generic beach scenes. The piece reads as historical coastal art rather than as a beach print.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural carries the wall. Above a console table, a Medium reads cleanly. For a beach-house entry, a 9-tile Mural shows the sound and shoreline at full reach.

Yes, in either the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-tolerant, suited to sound-side cottages and salt-air rooms. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall pieces in interior dry rooms.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.