Sketches courtesy of Mary Ellen Carsley
Bonsai has great artistic potential both as an art form itself, and as an inspiration to other artists. Artist and teacher Mary Ellen Carsley exemplifies this potential by developing a thoughtful connection between bonsai and her artistic practice. A life-long visitor of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, she has frequented the Museum since its inception in 1976. She maintains this bond by engaging with bonsai to cultivate mindful artistic experiences both for herself and her students.
The National Bonsai Foundation spoke with Carsley about her connection to the Museum and how her appreciation for bonsai is exemplified through her career.
Carsley sets the example for individuals seeking to pursue their passions. A trained architect, she left her own practice to begin a career as an artist and teacher. Carsley illustrated eight books before taking on a job as a full-time educator. She now shares her appreciation of bonsai, penjing and Asian art with her students at Severn School, where she remains a practicing artist.
Carsley fully embraces the opportunity to use artistic expression to stimulate cross cultural experience and personal reflection.
“In the Western world, we're going really fast all the time, and there are some aspects, particularly in Asian techniques, for drawing, painting and printmaking, as well as calligraphy, that slow people down and make them more introspective about themselves and their process,” she said.
She and other instructors at her school began bringing students to the Museum’s collections to paint images of the trees and write poetry on the bonsai of their choice. After conducting the program for six years, Carsley and her students were interrupted following the Museum’s closure during the pandemic. She has since returned to bringing more of her students to experience the natural artistic beauty inherent in the Museum's collections.
“I really love making that hand-eye-mind-heart connection through the art for the students to give them that quiet, safe place, and time to contemplate and be in nature,” Carsley said.
While the museum remained closed, Carsley felt the absence of the place she had connected to nature and sought respite in since childhood. She frequently checked on the Museum's reopening status in anticipation of her return, not only to enjoy the reflective atmosphere of the collections but also to continue her work illustrating the bonsai.
“I was so starved for bonsai during the pandemic, I actually started my own collection,” Carsley said.
Beginning with a tree gifted by a student, Carsley and her husband, Perry Carsley, now maintain a small collection in their home. She began her bonsai practice in isolation, studying bonsai books and making the insightful connection between creating conventional two-dimensional art and cultivating bonsai.
Photo courtesy of Perry Carsley
“As an art teacher, we teach using the elements of art and the principles of design,” said Carsley. “As I was reading these books, they actually used almost the exact same elements and principles in bonsai as I do when I teach drawing and painting. The whole artistic mindset is there, but the actual material of the art is alive and that's really fascinating.”
Carsley’s upcoming project involves tracing the progression of trees at the Museum that inspire her through the changing seasons (keep an eye out for her future works to find out which bonsai will be featured). Her artistic depictions of bonsai reflect a deep appreciation for shape and form, as well as Asian culture, with a skill she refined throughout her lifetime.
“When I'm thinking about my trees, my attitude towards them considers not what I wanted them to be but how to encourage them to be their best selves,” said Carsley. “There is something to be said for how you approach bonsai and teaching because your investment doesn't come right back to you right away. You hope to help both the students and bonsai grow into their authentic selves.”
You can enjoy more of Mary Ellen Carsley’s portfolio of work on her website www.maryellencarsley.com.