Beth Stinson worked on her art during the residency at the Weir Farm National Historical Park. The work she created there will be part of the show "The Artist's Eye," at the Benfield Gallery in Severn, Maryland, opening on September 13, 2025. Photo courtesy of Beth Stinson

• Share

PRINT

Beth MacNeil Stinson knew all of her colors when she was only two years old. Born into an artistically supportive family, Stinson had grandparents who nurtured her interests, giving her art supplies for every Christmas and birthday.

“Since I can remember, I’ve had crayons and paint and markers,” said Stinson, who lives in Brookeville, Maryland.

That support launched Stinson’s long and, at times, unconventional career in the arts. After a long career in teaching, designing and tech, she returned to her first love: art. In July, Stinson was the distinguished artist-in-residence at Weir Farm National Park in Ridgefield, Connecticut, her home state.

Stinson formally began her artistic journey in New York City at the Pratt Institute, where she learned about the many forms of art, from commercial art to fine art, printmaking and beyond.

“It was just extraordinary to see the vast difference that you can pursue in the arts, all the different avenues,” Stinson said. “And I just wanted to try everything.”

From artist to educator

Stinson spent a formative year taking full advantage of New York’s art scene.

“I got to know the city really well and all the different museums,” Stinson said. “And that really was foundational to my art education.”

Later, she transferred to the State University of New York at Albany, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in printmaking and photography. Stinson spent years teaching photography and running darkrooms at different colleges and universities.

With the proliferation of computers in the early 1980s, Stinson knew she had to adapt. So she taught herself coding and design and began working at tech companies who educated teachers about computers.

She was hired by Blackboard, where she worked for 10 years, and later by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, where she used her design skills to help create a safety certification program. She considers her work there one of the most worthwhile aspects of her career.

“I really believe that what we do, the training that we do, saves people’s lives,” Stinson said. “It’s very fulfilling that way, to know that I have contributed in some small part to keeping vulnerable roadway workers safe.”

The road back to the arts

Stinson returned to the arts at the same time the rest of the world rediscovered old passions and hobbies: during the Covid-19 pandemic. Quarantined at home and with her two grown sons moved out of house, Stinson had newfound time to devote herself to art.

“I went on long hikes in nature just to keep my sanity. Every weekend with my husband, I took a lot of pictures, came home, started drawing and sketching, and I guess the rest is history,” Stinson said.

On her walks, she collected plants and leaves, which became the centerpiece for her art. She developed a process which she calls “echo printing.” She treats plants with a chemical process involving heat, paints and dyes. Then she adds watercolor and ink to the image.

Part of the joy of her process is that she never knows exactly how plants will react. “Every time I use a different plant, I learn something new. I don’t know what’s going to happen as a result, and that endless curiosity about how this would react, how this would look, keeps driving me forward,” she said.

“Nature just sort of takes your breath away when you’re walking through and you see a butterfly or flower or the way the sunlight hits leaves a certain way,” Stinson said. “All of that input is very inspiring to me.”

Weir Farm National Park

At her artist-in-residence program at Weir Farm, the former home of American expressionist painter J. Alden Weir, Stinson had the opportunity to continue his work. In 1882 Weir bought the property, located an hour and a half north of New York City, so he could focus on painting the natural world around him.

The 60-acre national park hosts six visual artists per year. From May to October, six different artists each spend a month living, working and following in the footsteps of one of America’s great impressionists.

Stinson was selected from a pool of more than 70 applicants, according to Kristin Lessard, acting superintendent of Weir Farm National Historical Park and manager of the artist-in-residence program. Stinson’s echo printing process was key to her selection.

“She had such a unique process with her echo prints, with her printmaking process. It’s something very innovative and creative that we haven’t had necessarily here before in the park,” Lessard said.

During Stinson’s month at Weir Farm, she incorporated its native plants in her art and talked about her process with visitors.

“I get to live in an old cottage on the ground, and I get access to this amazing studio where I get to do my thing for a month and I get to interact with the public, with the park rangers, with all the staff here,” Stinson said. “They have been absolutely wonderful.”

Artistic growth

Stinson has displayed her work in Maryland art galleries such as the Rockville Art League, the Eastside Artists’ Gallery in Frederick, the beachKraft Art Gallery in Olney and the HorseSpirit Arts Gallery in Savage. Her next show opens Sept. 13 at
Benfield Gallery in Severn.

Stinson credits her success in her career and in the arts to her ability to be flexible and grow with life’s challenges and opportunities — much like the natural world.

“Being flexible and open to the possibilities of things has allowed me to adapt and change and make art,” Stinson said.