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.
