shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMaryland

on the western shore of the Chesapeake, south of Prince Frederick

Calvert Cliffs fossil beach

Name: Calvert Cliffs fossil beach — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— the bay edge where the Miocene keeps washing up.

— Maryland 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

Calvert Cliffs fossil 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 tan-and-grey cliff face runs about twenty-four miles along the western Chesapeake, holding sediments laid down ten to twenty million years ago. Storms cut the cliffs back a few inches a year, and what falls into the bay returns to the beach as fossil shark teeth, bivalve shells, and the occasional whale bone. The walk in is a quiet 1.8 miles through marsh and mixed pine. from the studio

from the studio

— about Calvert Cliffs fossil 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

Calvert Cliffs run for about twenty-four miles along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland, between Chesapeake Beach and Drum Point. Calvert Cliffs State Park preserves a public access point near Lusby, with a 1.8-mile trail through tidal marsh and pine-oak forest to a small beach at the foot of the bluffs. The cliffs expose the Calvert, Choptank, and St. Marys formations, marine sediments deposited during the middle Miocene between roughly seven and twenty million years ago. Erosion averages a few inches a year.

— informed by Maryland DNR — Calvert Cliffs, Wikipedia — Calvert Cliffs

— the water

The same erosion that threatens the cliffs supplies the beach. Bay waves undercut the soft sediment; blocks slump and break apart; the heavier material works back ashore. The deposit is fossil-rich because it formed on the floor of a shallow warm sea, and beachcombers regularly find teeth of mako, hemipristis, and the giant Carcharocles megalodon, along with scallop and oyster shells turned to chalk. Maryland law allows collecting loose fossils from the beach. Climbing or digging into the cliff face itself is prohibited for safety and preservation.

— informed by Calvert Marine Museum — Fossils, Wikipedia — Calvert Formation

— the visit

Calvert Cliffs State Park is open year-round, sunrise to sunset, with a per-vehicle entrance fee. The Red Trail to the beach runs 1.8 miles each way over mostly flat ground, ending at a narrow strand where collecting is permitted. The water is shallow and warm in summer but the beach itself is small and gets crowded on weekends. Swimming is allowed at swimmers' own risk; there are no lifeguards. The cliffs collapse without warning, and state rangers ask visitors to stay well clear of the base.

— informed by Maryland DNR — Plan a visit

— where

United States · Calvert County, Maryland

— within

Calvert Cliffs State Park

— position

38.3955° N · 76.4358° 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.

18 km S

Calvert Marine Museum

maritime and paleontology museum

18 km S

Solomons

harbor village

18 km S

Drum Point Lighthouse

screwpile lighthouse

32 km N

Chesapeake Beach

bayside town

Calvert Cliffs fossil beach

Calvert Marine Museum

Solomons

Drum Point Lighthouse

Chesapeake Beach

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Calvert Cliffs fossil beach — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Calvert Cliffs run along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, Maryland, between Chesapeake Beach and Drum Point. The public access point is at Calvert Cliffs State Park near Lusby.

The cliffs expose the Calvert, Choptank, and St. Marys formations, marine sediments laid down on a shallow warm sea floor between roughly seven and twenty million years ago. Erosion releases the fossils onto the beach.

Beachcombers commonly find shark teeth, including mako, hemipristis, and the giant Carcharocles megalodon. Bivalve shells, ray plates, crocodile teeth, and whale bone fragments also turn up after storms.

From the Calvert Cliffs State Park parking area, the Red Trail runs 1.8 miles each way through tidal marsh and pine-oak forest to a small beach at the foot of the cliffs.

Yes. Loose fossils on the beach may be collected and kept. Climbing the cliffs or digging into the face is prohibited; the sediment is unstable and falls without warning.

The exposed sediments date to the middle Miocene, roughly seven to twenty million years old. The cliffs themselves continue to retreat a few inches a year as bay waves undercut the soft formations.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Regulars at the Cliffs know that long quiet bluff and the small beach below. A Medium or Large, with a handwritten note from the studio, sits well in a fossil collector's reading room or office.

The piece suits coastal-modern rooms with bleached oak and tan linen, naturalist or museum-style offices with shelved specimens, and Chesapeake bayside cottages. The sand-and-water palette pairs cleanly with bone, brass, and pale wood.

Naturalist-modern interiors continue to grow, anchored by specimens and real-place imagery rather than abstract textures. A Large tile of Calvert Cliffs gives that look a Chesapeake-specific subject.

A single Large reads from across a room and anchors a console. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the wall, and a 9-tile Mural treats the cliff line as one composition.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for any room with moisture or steam. Both are scratch-resistant and behave well as backsplashes, shower surrounds, or vanity feature walls.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water are enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so it will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original work by Reid Wender at the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no third-party art; each place is painted once, by the same eye.

— if this one stayed with you