Wender·Vista
Newport News
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVirginia · United States
on the Virginia Peninsula, at the mouth of the James

Newport News

— — a city built by the ships that leave it.

— 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 harbour city on the lower James, opposite Hampton Roads, where the river meets the Chesapeake. Home of Newport News Shipbuilding, where US aircraft carriers and submarines are built, and of the Mariners' Museum, with one of the largest maritime collections in the world. The water is never out of sight here, and rarely quiet.

from the studio
Newport News
— bring it home

Newport News, 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 Newport News

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

Newport News sits on the lower Virginia Peninsula, between the James River and the York, with the Chesapeake Bay opening to the east. The city covers about 180 square kilometres and is home to roughly 180,000 people. It anchors the western edge of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, one of the busiest natural harbours in the world. Founded in 1621 as part of the Virginia Colony, it grew around the deepwater port and the rail terminus brought in by Collis P. Huntington in 1881.

— the water

Hampton Roads is the body of water where the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers meet before opening to the Chesapeake Bay. It has been a working harbour since the seventeenth century and was the scene of the first battle between ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, on 9 March 1862. The wreck of the Monitor lies about sixteen miles off Cape Hatteras; her recovered turret is on permanent display at the Mariners' Museum, just inside the city.

— the visit

The Mariners' Museum and Park holds one of the largest maritime collections in the world, with more than 32,000 objects across roughly 60,000 square metres of building and 220 hectares of grounds along Lake Maury. Admission to the galleries is free. The USS Monitor Center, opened in 2007, displays the Civil War ironclad's recovered turret, anchor, and engines. The shipyard itself is closed to the public, but its dry docks are visible from the James River Bridge across to Norfolk and Portsmouth.

— where
United States · Newport News, Virginia
— elevation
8 m · 26 ft
— position
36.9785° N · 76.4280° 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.
12 km E
Hampton
neighbouring city
35 km NW
Williamsburg
historic town
25 km SE
Norfolk
port city
N
Newport News
Hampton
Williamsburg
Norfolk
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Shipbuilding. Newport News Shipbuilding, founded in 1886, is the sole builder of US Navy aircraft carriers and one of two builders of nuclear submarines. The city also hosts the Mariners' Museum and Park.

Roughly 180,000 residents across about 180 square kilometres on the lower Virginia Peninsula. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, with around 1.8 million people in total.

In 1621, as part of the Virginia Colony. The name's origin is debated; the most cited theory links it to Captain Christopher Newport, who brought the first colonists upriver in 1607.

The natural harbour where the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers meet the Chesapeake Bay. One of the busiest deepwater ports in the world, it borders Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, and Portsmouth.

Yes. The first battle between ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, was fought in Hampton Roads on 9 March 1862. The Monitor's recovered turret is displayed at the Mariners' Museum.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for Navy families, shipyard workers, and anyone who grew up along the lower James. A Small framed for an office or a Coaster Set for a kitchen both work cleanly.

The blue-water palette settles comfortably into Coastal-modern, Mid-century, and quiet Traditional rooms. It also reads well against navy or warm-white walls in a home with maritime touches.

A single Large reads cleanly above a standard sofa. A 4-tile Mural carries the harbour across a wider wall; a 9-tile Mural anchors a long dining or entry installation.

Yes. Choose Dura Satin for a scratch-resistant soft sheen near water, or Matte for the same protection with no reflection at all. Both finishes hold up behind a sink or in a guest bath.

A soft microfibre cloth with water. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface, beneath a thin glossy finish, so the image will not fade with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated and finished in our Knoxville studio. No licensing, no third-party rights. Reid Wender chooses each place that enters the atlas.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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