A Coastal Dream with Adam Trest
We’ve always loved getting to know the people behind the pieces we carry, and sitting down with Adam Trest feels a little like catching up with an old friend over coffee. His work has a way of telling stories before you even know the story behind it and his Coastal Collection is no different.
When we asked Adam where the idea for the collection began, he smiled and said, “We’ve always been ‘beach people.’” It’s been a constant thread in his life, growing up close enough to the Gulf Coast that a beach day was never out of reach. The kind of days filled with salt air, sandy feet, and the quiet rhythm of waves that somehow sticks with you long after you leave. 
But the trip that sparked this particular collection wasn’t the kind of beach trip you might expect. Instead of heading to the bright, familiar stretches of places like Gulf Shores or Destin, Adam and his family spent time along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a place that felt different right away. He described it as “more rough around the edges… more natural. Less developed. More wild.” And that difference is what stayed with him.
What really changed, though, wasn’t just the setting, it was seeing it through the eyes of his daughters. If you’ve ever watched a child at the edge of the water completely absorbed in a shell, or convinced there’s something magical just beneath the surface then you know exactly why this coastal collection came to be.
That sense of wonder can shape everything.
Instead of simply painting what he saw, Adam started creating from a place that felt a little more like memory and imagination woven together. The coastal birds, the fish, the quiet movement of the water! They’re all there, but so is something softer, almost dreamlike. In some pieces, you’ll even find mermaids drifting through the scenes, like something half-remembered from childhood. Almost like these painting feel more like memories. And the more time we’ve spent with this collection, the more that feels true. There’s a familiarity to them, even if you’ve never been to that exact stretch of coast. They feel like early mornings, long afternoons, and the kind of simple moments that stay tucked away for years.
That’s what we love most about having these prints in the Mercantile. They don’t just fill a wall, they bring a feeling with them. Maybe it’s a pelican that reminds you of a trip you took years ago, or a shoreline that feels like a deep breath at the end of a long day. Maybe it’s something harder to name, just a sense of calm or nostalgia that settles in when you pass by it.
It’s a collection rooted in place, but even more than that, it’s rooted in perspective as a reminder to slow down, to pay attention, and to see something familiar with fresh eyes. And that’s a story we’re always glad to share.
