Wender·Vista
McNeil Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWashington · United States
in southern Puget Sound, west of Steilacoom

McNeil Island

— — the island Puget Sound still keeps closed.

— 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 wooded island in southern Puget Sound, about a mile off the Steilacoom ferry slip in Pierce County. McNeil ran as a federal penitentiary from 1875 until 1981 and a Washington state prison until 2011. It is still home to the Special Commitment Center and has been closed to the public for most of 150 years — one of the last truly closed islands in the Sound.

from the studio
McNeil Island
— bring it home

McNeil 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 McNeil 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

McNeil Island lies in southern Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington, separated from the mainland by Pitt Passage and Drayton Passage. It covers about 4,400 acres (roughly 17.6 km²) and is wooded with Douglas fir and madrone. Steilacoom, the closest mainland town, sits about 1.5 km to the east. The island has no public ferry and no through road; the only regular access is the state corrections vessel from Steilacoom. A penitentiary opened on the island in 1875 and ran in federal hands until 1981, one of the longest-lived federal prison sites in the United States.

— the silence

McNeil is one of the few large islands in Puget Sound with no civilian population. Washington State reports a small resident headcount, all staff or residents of the Special Commitment Center. There are no public trails, no shoreline access, no docks open to the public. Bald eagles and harbour seals use the island freely. From Steilacoom Pier, a visitor sees forested bluffs and the occasional white roof, and not much else. The Sound runs cold and dark in the channel between, and most boats give the island a wide berth.

— the year

The island's history runs in long institutional chapters. A territorial penitentiary opened in 1875 and was operated by the federal government for 106 years, holding figures including Robert Stroud (later the Birdman of Alcatraz) and, briefly in the 1960s, Charles Manson. The federal facility closed in 1981 and Washington State took it over the same year, running it as McNeil Island Corrections Center until budget cuts shut the prison in 2011. The Special Commitment Center, opened in 1990 under separate state authority, has continued to operate on the island since.

— where
United States · Pierce County, Washington
— position
47.2050° N · 122.6900° 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
Steilacoom
mainland town
2 km S
Anderson Island
residential island
20 km NE
Tacoma
city
6 km N
Fox Island
residential island
N
McNeil Island
Steilacoom
Anderson Island
Tacoma
Fox Island
— common questions

What people ask.

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

No. McNeil Island has been closed to the public since the federal prison opened in 1875. The only access is by state corrections vessel from Steilacoom for staff and authorised visitors to the Special Commitment Center.

The Special Commitment Center, a Washington State facility that houses civilly committed sex offenders under a separate post-sentence statute. The former McNeil Island Corrections Center buildings remain but the prison itself closed in 2011.

From 1875 until 1981. The federal Bureau of Prisons then handed the island to Washington State, which ran it as a state prison until budget cuts closed the corrections center in 2011.

Notable inmates included Robert Stroud (later the Birdman of Alcatraz) and, briefly in the 1960s, Charles Manson. Most of its population over the decades were federal prisoners from across the Pacific Northwest.

In southern Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington, about 1.5 km west of Steilacoom and roughly 20 km southwest of Tacoma. Anderson Island lies just to its south across Balch Passage.

About 4,400 acres, or roughly 17.6 km², making it one of the larger islands in southern Puget Sound. It is mostly forested with Douglas fir and madrone, with developed land confined to the former prison footprint.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well as a gift for someone who grew up around Steilacoom, Anderson Island, or south Puget Sound. The island is a quiet local landmark, and a Small or Medium reads as a knowing nod.

The cool greens, slate, and dark water suit Pacific Northwest modern, coastal-modern, and quiet Japandi rooms. It pairs cleanly with western red cedar, fog-grey paint, and natural wool.

Yes. The palette and quiet composition sit within the current PNW-modern direction — restrained colour, organic texture, water and forest as the dominant motifs rather than mountain crags.

A single Large reads cleanly above most sofas. A 4-tile Mural lets the island stretch across a wider wall, and a 9-tile Mural carries a whole long living room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical wet-area installs. Clean with a soft cloth and warm water.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. No solvents or abrasives. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so cleaning does not lift or wear it.

Yes. Reid Wender paints every WenderVista piece in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink language. No licensing and no third-party reuse — the work originates and ends with Wender Studios.

— if this one stayed with you

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