The Coastal Mist Collection Inspiration

When our fall trip to Banff was canceled due to covid, we decided to keep an eye out to see what destinations seemed appealing in the Scott’s Cheap Flights emails. (Side note: if you love to travel and haven’t signed up for Scott’s Cheap Flights, your life is about to change. Go sign up now. This is not sponsored.) One came through for Charlotte to Bangor, and mentioned that Bangor was near Acadia National Park.  We had been on National Park kick since covid canceled all of our international plans and National Parks seemed like pretty covid-safe vacations, but I honestly didn’t know anything about Acadia.

You should also know that I saw the Scott’s Cheap Flights email while sitting out by the fire in our backyard with Niko after we split a bottle of wine. I googled pictures of Acadia and we decided to book it immediately. I think we bought another set of plane tickets that night too. No bad decisions were made.

I still knew relatively little about Acadia before we got there. I knew it was next to a town called Bar Harbor, and I had written down a few restaurants to try out. Niko had looked up a couple trails. We didn’t really have any set plans before getting there, just flights, a hotel, and a rental car. 

I didn’t know that Acadia is a magical place that smells of Christmas trees and has wild blueberry bushes growing all over the mountains. Not only can you see the ocean from the tops of the mountains, but you often get glimpses of it in sparse parts along the trails. Lakes and ponds reflect the reds & yellows of bright fall leaves. There are places where cliffs meet the ocean, and dark rocks tumbling down to choppy waters. Waves thunder into underwater caves. Beaches are filled with large pebbles in dark jewel tones, and disappear with the tides.

You know those little fairy gardens? The ones with moss, tiny plants, and a village of fairy houses? Imagine those fairy houses are an actual town with good restaurants, cute boutiques, and a smattering of tacky but endearing tourist shops. That’s what Bar Harbor is to Acadia. The town is the perfect compliment to the park. There’s honestly nothing better than ending a 9 mile hike with a fresh lobster roll and a glass of Chardonnay. 

The Coastal Mist Collection is a series of oil paintings inspired by photos I took on our trip. There’s paintings of lobster boils and foggy beaches. I decided to  paint scenes from both Acadia & Bar Harbor, because one isn’t complete without the other. I’m excited to show you my paintings, and take you on a journey back to Maine. The Coastal Mist Collection will be released at noon on March 4th, but Collector’s List subscribers will get early access to view & shop the collection before then.