Wender·Vista
Saint Thomas
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the US Virgin Islands, east of Puerto Rico

Saint Thomas

— — the harbour the cruise ships circle back 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 busiest of the three US Virgin Islands, set in the Caribbean about sixty miles east of Puerto Rico. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is a working cruise port wrapped around one of the deepest natural harbours in the region. Above the town the red roofs climb to Blackbeard's Castle, and the road to Magens Bay drops to a curve of white sand the locals still treat as the better beach. The trade winds come most afternoons.

from the studio
Saint Thomas
— bring it home

Saint Thomas, 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 Saint Thomas

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

Saint Thomas is the most populated of the three main US Virgin Islands, set in the eastern Caribbean about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico. The island covers roughly 32 square miles, with Charlotte Amalie as the territorial capital and the seat of government for the USVI. The United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917 for 25 million dollars in gold. Population is around 42,000. The terrain is steep volcanic ridge, with Crown Mountain at 1,556 feet as the high point.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

Magens Bay, on the north side of the island, is a heart-shaped curve about a mile long and was named one of the world's most beautiful beaches by National Geographic decades ago. The water reads pale turquoise over white sand and grades to deep blue past the reef line. On the south side, the harbour at Charlotte Amalie is one of the deepest natural ports in the Caribbean, which is why the Danes built the town there in 1666 and the cruise lines still call today.

— informed by Magens Bay Authority
— the visit

Cyril E. King Airport carries direct flights from Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, and several other US gateways, with no passport needed for US citizens. Cruise ships dock at Havensight and the West Indian Company pier east of the old town. The dollar is the local currency and driving is on the left, a Danish-era holdover. The dry season runs December through April. Hurricane season opens in June and runs through November, with September the peak risk.

— informed by Visit USVI
— where
United States · Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands
— position
18.3419° N · 64.9307° 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.
5 km N
Magens Bay
beach
1 km N
Blackbeard's Castle
historic landmark
8 km E
Coral World Ocean Park
marine park
at the lake
Charlotte Amalie
capital town
7 km N
Mountain Top
viewpoint
12 km E
Red Hook Ferry to St. John
ferry terminal
N
Saint Thomas
Magens Bay
Blackbeard's Castle
Coral World Ocean Park
Charlotte Amalie
Mountain Top
Red Hook Ferry to St. John
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Saint Thomas is one of the three main US Virgin Islands, in the eastern Caribbean about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico. The capital, Charlotte Amalie, sits on the deep natural harbour on the south coast.

US citizens do not need a passport to travel to Saint Thomas from the mainland, as the US Virgin Islands are an unincorporated US territory. Non-US visitors enter under standard US immigration rules.

The islands were a Danish colony until 1917, and Denmark drove on the left at the time. The US purchased the territory but kept the road convention, which holds today across all three main islands.

Magens Bay is a heart-shaped beach on the north coast of Saint Thomas, about a mile long, with pale turquoise water over white sand. The bay is a public park with a small entrance fee.

The United States bought the Danish West Indies in 1917 for 25 million dollars in gold, during the First World War, to secure the approach to the Panama Canal. The treaty took effect on the 31st of March that year.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers who grew up on Saint Thomas, were married at Magens Bay, or honeymooned in the harbour. A Small or Medium reads well in a coastal interior.

The piece sits well with coastal modern, Caribbean colonial, and warm island interiors. The stained-glass blues and reef greens also carry into tropical maximalist rooms with rattan and bleached wood.

Coastal modern is holding through this design cycle, with deeper jewel-tone water palettes coming back. The stained-glass treatment gives the piece more weight and dimension than a printed beach photo.

A single Large covers most consoles. For a sofa we suggest a four-tile Mural, and the nine-tile Mural reads as one composition across a wide wall.

Yes, with Dura Satin or Matte. Both are scratch resistant and tolerate steam and splash. Glossy is reserved for framed wall pieces away from water.

A microfibre cloth with plain water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it lives in the surface and does not need cleaner or polish.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted and hand-finished in our Knoxville studio, with no outside licensing. Reid Wender curates the atlas and chooses each place that enters it.

— if this one stayed with you

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