Layers of Life – Abstracting Acadia

Workshop Part 1: Layers of the Land – Abstracting the Acadia Landscape

Ages 12 and older (younger children may attend with an adult!)

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.

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.