ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. – A walk in the woods sent a Twin Cities nanny on a new path, taking nature up a notch and turning it into a fleeting art form.
Chelsey Bahe, 34, of Hopkins, uses materials nature casts aside – dried pine needles, acorns, tree bark – and transforms the forest floor remnants into woodland masterpieces, creating whimsical or inspiring scenes.
Walk through the trails at Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, and you’ll see her daily creations, using flat tree stumps as her canvas.
“I was really focused on getting the kids outside playing, but I found I needed time without kids outside so I started coming here after work,” said Bahe. “The kids would always play with sticks and one day I found a stick that had an interesting curve. I just picked it up and sort of played around with it and made a bear. I can't paint, I can't draw, I didn't know I could create art until I went for a walk that day.”
Bahe kept creating, a new scene each day, her favorite images include cats, owls, children and babies, but she finds the most meaning in creating scenes from her own day. Many include messages of inclusivity, depicting children of all abilities.
“One time I was at a nature center, there was a little boy with a wheelchair and it made me think it can be done,” said Bahe. “It’s important for all kids to be outside.”
For months, the Westwood Hills Nature Center staff would find her creations, and wonder who was behind the beauty. The center even put a post on Facebook, searching for their mystery artist, and that’s when Bahe, quietly creating in the woods, came forward.
She now teaches at the nature center, and holds weekly playgroups every Thursday morning at Westwood Hills Nature Center. The children she nannies for are always with her, inspired to make their own creations.
“She is not just telling us, she is showing us,” said Max Widstrom, 7, of Edina, one of three children Bahe cares for each day.
“I think it’s important for them to see grown-ups trying new things, getting dirty. Also, they see me fail sometimes, I try to make something and it doesn’t work out, and it’s okay,” said Bahe. “School is important but play is very important also, and if we want them to sit still and listen, we need to let them outside and let them run and climb and get dirty.”
Bahe has now created more than 3,000 scenes, and has gained a following by posting the images to Instagram and Facebook, her artwork even leading to a book titled, “Today I Will Play.”
Bahe knows her masterpieces could be erased with the wind, with her artwork lasting only minutes or days, but she hopes children will understand that the heart of play can be everlasting.
“A lady was walking on the trail and she stopped me and told me that she saw my art as expressions of love,” said Bahe. “I've kept that in the back of mind. I am leaving expressions for love for whoever might need it, whatever kind of love someone needs.”