Workshop Part 1: Layers of the Land – Abstracting the Acadia Landscape
Ages 12 and older (younger children may attend with an adult) Maximum 12 participants | Duration: 2 hours In this hands-on workshop at ArtWaves MDI, participants will explore the textures, colors, and patterns of Acadia National Park through a curated collection of found natural objects—such as stones, driftwood fragments, dried grasses, bark, and sea-worn materials. Using these objects as visual and tactile references, we will examine how shape, repetition, contrast, and surface inform our understanding of place.
The session will include a guided discussion on how artists abstract a landscape—moving from direct observation to interpretation by simplifying forms, exaggerating scale, layering color, and emphasizing rhythm and movement rather than literal representation. Participants will learn how abstraction can express memory, atmosphere, and ecological character. Participants will then create their own hand-painted collage papers using upcycled materials, drawing inspiration from Acadia’s coastal palette—granite grays, ocean blues, lichen greens, and weathered earth tones. These papers will be assembled into layered abstract compositions that reflect the contours, energy, and textures of the Acadia landscape, merging mindful observation with creative experimentation.
Workshop Part 2: Layers of Life – Abstracting Species and Systems in Acadia Ages 12 and older (younger children may attend with an adult) Maximum 12 participants | Duration: 2 hours This second session expands on the first workshop by focusing on living systems within Acadia’s ecosystem, again using found natural objects and visual references rather than field observation. Participants will examine materials such as feathers, shells, pine needles, lichen, and seaweed forms, discussing how these elements reveal patterns of adaptation, resilience, and interconnection. We will examine some of the indigenous species unique to Acadia National Park, with attention to their habitats. Through sketching and material exploration, participants will learn how to abstract organic forms—translating botanical and ecological structures into simplified marks, layered shapes, and repeated motifs. The workshop will emphasize how abstraction can communicate biodiversity and ecological relationships without literal depiction. Participants who attended Program 1 may integrate these new abstracted forms into their existing collage landscapes, adding complexity and narrative. New participants will be guided through the same techniques and will create their own layered abstract compositions that
Camille Kouyoumdjian is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work explores the intersection of landscape, material, and environmental memory. Drawing inspiration from coastal Maine and the California shoreline, she creates atmospheric, textural paintings using acrylic, oil, cold wax, and reclaimed materials. As an educator, Camille teaches workshops that emphasize process, experimentation, and a deep connection to the natural world. Her approach encourages artists of all levels to work intuitively, incorporate sustainable practices, and develop their own visual language through layering, mark-making, and material exploration.
