shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGreece

on the southeast coast of Santorini, under Mesa Vouno

Perissa black-sand beach

— the black the volcano kept.

— South Aegean wall art on a ceramic tile, made to order

from $22

$58

6 × 6 in, glossy, hidden mount · all sizes, murals and mounts ↓

Finished by hand in Knoxville. Free US shipping over $75, on your wall in about ten days. Damaged in transit? Free replacement within 30 days; other returns within 30 days. Returns · Contact

— 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.

— Beside the kettle, propped on the counter.

— On the nightstand, catching the morning.

— shown in a slim black floating frame · 6 × 6 in

— bring it home

Perissa black-sand beach, 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.

— comes gift-ready

Each tile ships in a kraft box, tied with cream ribbon, with a handwritten note from the studio if you'd like to add one.

— or build a grouping

Three or five different vistas, hung together — a chapter of places you've been, or want to go.

— a note from the studio

“A long dark beach at the foot of Mesa Vouno, where the sand is the colour of cooled lava and the Aegean comes in clear over it. Sunbeds in rows, tavernas at the road, the cliff rising sheer behind. The ruins of Ancient Thera sit on the ridge above. The water warms by midmorning and the sand stays hot underfoot through the afternoon.

from the studio

— about Perissa black-sand beach

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

Perissa runs for roughly seven kilometres along the southeast coast of Santorini, below the limestone cliff of Mesa Vouno. The sand is volcanic, fine, dark grey to black, the legacy of the Minoan eruption around 1600 BC that shaped the caldera. The beach faces the open Aegean and stays in sun most of the day. Ancient Thera, the Hellenistic and Roman city on the saddle above the beach, can be reached by a switchback path or by road from Kamari on the far side of the mountain.

— informed by Wikipedia: Perissa

— the colour

The sand is not painted black; it is black. The 1600 BC Minoan eruption blanketed Thera in pumice and pyroclastic flows, and the south-facing beaches inherited the dark fragments. Underwater, sunlight bounces off the grey-black grains and the sea takes on a deeper blue than it does over white-sand beaches. By late afternoon the sand has stored enough heat to feel like warm stone underfoot, and the contrast with the bright water is what every visitor describes first.

— informed by Wikipedia: Minoan eruption

— the visit

Perissa lies about fifteen kilometres south of Fira, the island capital, and is served by KTEL bus and taxi. The beach is free and public; sunbeds and umbrellas rent through the tavernas that line the back road. The water shelves gently and the beach is family-friendly. The clifftop ruins of Ancient Thera open mornings, with last entry usually mid-afternoon; the walk up from Perissa takes roughly an hour and is steep in full sun.

— informed by Wikipedia: Ancient Thera

— where

Greece · Santorini, South Aegean

— position

36.3551° N · 25.4769° E

— 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.

6 km NE

Kamari Beach

beach

2 km N

Ancient Thera

archaeological site

15 km NW

Fira

town

14 km W

Akrotiri

archaeological site

Perissa black-sand beach

Kamari Beach

Ancient Thera

Fira

Akrotiri

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Perissa black-sand beach — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Volcanic origin. The Minoan eruption around 1600 BC blanketed Thera in dark pumice and basaltic fragments, and the south-facing beaches inherited that material. The sand has been weathering toward fine grey-black ever since.

On the southeast coast, below the cliff of Mesa Vouno, about fifteen kilometres south of Fira. It sits opposite Kamari beach on the other side of the same mountain and runs roughly seven kilometres along the shore.

They are continuous. Perissa is the northern stretch under Mesa Vouno; Perivolos picks up south of it and runs toward Vlychada. Locals treat them as separate beaches; the sand is the same.

Yes. A switchback footpath climbs Mesa Vouno from the south end of Perissa to the ridge above. The walk takes about an hour in full sun and the ruins open mornings through early afternoon.

The Aegean off Perissa is comfortable from late May through October, with peak warmth in August and September. The dark sand heats the shallows faster than white-sand beaches, so mornings are pleasant by early summer.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Perissa is the beach side of the honeymoon, opposite the caldera-view villages. A Small or Medium reads as a quieter memory than a Fira sunset and pairs well with a handwritten note from the studio.

The dark sand and bright water suit Coastal-modern, Mediterranean, and Mountain-modern interiors where deep blues and charcoal carry the room. Reads well against whitewashed walls, oiled wood, and natural linen.

A single Large is the usual choice above a standard sofa. For a longer wall or a more painterly statement, a four-tile Mural reads as one continuous beach. A nine-tile Mural suits an open dining wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical install where steam, splash, or scrubbing is a factor. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift.

Microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia cleaners. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so the piece cleans like a tile, not a print.

— if this one stayed with you