Featured Artist Beth Stinson

Artist Beth Stinson shares a collection of fascinating botanically-inspired echo prints created using her own technique. Find more of her portfolio on her website.

 

 

My mom tells me I knew all of my colors by the time I was two years old. I’ve had a crayon, pencil, or paint brush in my hand for as long as I can remember. During high school, I traded babysitting for art lessons with a local artist.

 

 

My formal art education began at Pratt Institute in New York City, where I learned color theory, composition, and printmaking techniques. I later transferred to the State University of New York at Albany, where I graduated with a BA and MA in graphic arts and photography.

 

 

After years of teaching photography and running audio-visual services at seven colleges and universities, the internet happened. Adapting to this new world, I taught myself coding and design to build a very rewarding career as an instructional designer. I have created training programs on subjects as diverse as universal design, public speaking, cyber security, and construction safety.

 

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic I found myself with newfound time to devote to my first love, making art. A friend said that I stored up my creative energy for 30 years until it all came bursting out. Being a printmaker at heart, I was always attracted to rich colors and botanical subject matter. I started looking for unique methods of transferring imagery to paper.

 

 

I developed a process I call “echo printing.” It’s my spin of an ancient technique called eco printing where plant material is bundled inside of cloth and boiled to release the natural dye found inside the plant, creating a contact print on the fabric.

 

 

I use paper instead of fabric, sandwiching plant material between sheets of printmaking paper. They are then clamped between sheets of wood and steamed in a dye bath. I use different types of dye and mordants to chemically transfer an “echo” of the plant material to the paper.

 

 

Every print run is an experiment. The outcome is often unpredictable yet mysterious, atmospheric and rich in organic texture. I finish each piece with watercolor and ink, adding highlights and depth.

 

 

My work is the result of a unique dialogue between nature and chemistry, where light, color, and time play vital roles. For me, making art is an alchemical journey: part science, part serendipity. My work is a reflection of the natural world, fed by my endless curiosity. It’s also a meditation on transformation, impermanence and the hidden beauty found in process.

 

 

You can find my work in Maryland galleries, including Eastside Artists’ Gallery in Frederick, the beachKraft Art Gallery in Olney, and the Benfield Gallery in Severna Park.

 

 

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