Wender·Vista
Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWyoming
on the Wyoming-Montana line, east of the Pryor Mountains

Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area

— — a canyon held shut by a lake.

— 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

“Bighorn Canyon cuts north from Wyoming into Montana through walls of Madison limestone, with Bighorn Lake held behind Yellowtail Dam running seventy-one miles up the gorge. The South District is reached from Lovell, Wyoming; the Devil Canyon Overlook drops more than a thousand feet straight to the water. Pryor Mountain wild horses graze the rim country. The light works best in the long afternoons of May and September.

from the studio
Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area
— bring it home

Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area, 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 Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area

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

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area straddles the Wyoming-Montana state line, covering 120,296 acres of canyon, lake, and grassland in Big Horn County, Wyoming and Big Horn and Carbon Counties, Montana. The Bighorn River cuts north here through walls of Madison limestone reaching more than 1,000 feet from rim to water. Yellowtail Dam, completed at the canyon's north end in 1966, impounded Bighorn Lake along seventy-one miles of the gorge. The area is co-administered with the adjacent Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, the first federally designated wild-horse refuge in the United States.

— the stone

The canyon walls expose Mississippian Madison limestone, a thick marine carbonate deposited around 340 million years ago when the region lay beneath a shallow tropical sea. Above the Madison sit the Amsden and Tensleep formations; the Bighorn River has cut down through all three. At Devil Canyon Overlook the visible drop from the rim to Bighorn Lake exceeds 1,000 feet, and the layered limestone reads as horizontal bands of grey, buff, and rust through the day. The cliffs hold one of Wyoming's larger peregrine falcon populations.

— the visit

The South District is reached from Lovell, Wyoming, via Wyoming Highway 37, about 25 miles to Devil Canyon Overlook and Barry's Landing. The North District is reached from Fort Smith, Montana, with the Yellowtail Visitor Center and dam access. There is no road through the canyon connecting the two ends; the lake itself is the through-route. Entrance to the recreation area is free. National Park Service rangers run interpretive programs at both visitor centers from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

— informed by NPS: Plan Your Visit
— where
United States · Big Horn County, Wyoming
— within
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
— position
44.8261° N · 108.1869° 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.
25 km SW
Lovell
town
10 km W
Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range
wild-horse refuge
115 km N
Yellowtail Dam
concrete arch dam
40 km SW
Bighorn Basin
intermontane basin
N
Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area
Lovell
Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range
Yellowtail Dam
Bighorn Basin
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The area covers 120,296 acres along seventy-one miles of Bighorn Lake, stretching from near Lovell, Wyoming north to Yellowtail Dam at Fort Smith, Montana. It crosses the state line near Barry's Landing.

From Devil Canyon Overlook on the Wyoming side, the visible drop to Bighorn Lake exceeds 1,000 feet. The full canyon depth below water adds another 200 to 300 feet.

Yellowtail Dam was completed in 1966 at the north end of the canyon. It impounds Bighorn Lake along seventy-one miles of the gorge and is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Yes. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, the first federally designated wild-horse refuge in the United States, abuts the South District. The herd is often visible from Highway 37.

There is no road through. The South District is reached from Lovell, Wyoming; the North District from Fort Smith, Montana. Bighorn Lake itself is the through-route, by boat.

The walls expose Mississippian Madison limestone, roughly 340 million years old, deposited in a shallow tropical sea. The Amsden and Tensleep formations sit above and are also visible in cross-section.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for that recipient. The South District is most often associated with Lovell and the Pryor wild horses, which the artwork's open palette reads toward more than dam country.

The palette runs Madison limestone grey, lake teal, and rim-rust, sitting comfortably in Mountain-modern, Western-modern, and Earth-tone Maximalist rooms. It reads well against warm wood and natural leather.

The canyon palette and stained-glass treatment fit the current Western-modern direction. Pair the Large with raw wool, blackened steel, and unfinished oak for a coherent room.

A single Large anchors most sofas. A 4-tile Mural extends the canyon rim across a wider wall; a 9-tile Mural turns the wall into a long vertical drop.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for backsplashes, shower walls, and humid rooms. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and handles daily wear without dulling.

A soft microfibre cloth with water handles most marks. Dish soap is fine for kitchen splatter. Skip abrasive pads, scouring powders, and acidic or bleach-based cleaners.

Yes. Reid Wender curates and finishes every piece in our Knoxville studio. The WenderVista atlas is single-eye work and not licensed from any third party.

— if this one stayed with you

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