The site of Skinner’s Seattle studio in the vibrant Pike/Pine neighborhood was formerly a wholesale parts facility for shoe manufacturing. With the collaboration of renowned Northwest architect Tom Kundig, she transformed the dilapidated space into a functioning artist’s studio loft. New modern features such as rotating 9’x9’ wall panels allow flexibility for workspace, gallery space and rooms to entertain. The building’s history and its uses remain evident in the patina of the floors, which were simply cleaned and swedish finished as is, rather than resurfaced.  The 26' x 4' x 5" table is a slab of old growth, double live edge Douglas Fir felled by the eruption at Mt. St. Helens.  Tom Kundig designed the table's steel rollng wheels, executed by 12th Ave Iron Inc, Seattle.  North and west facing, single pane, wood frame windows were replaced by steel frames made in NY and reminescent of factory window walls.  The entrance has a cortan steel exterior, continued to the roof garden and sky light well.  Steel stairs pass through old walls of painted layers on original 1910 construction block brick and 2" x 6" fir on edge solid wall. Skinner designed her unique panel wall hanging system, that has then been used by many visiting artists. 

Santa Fe Studio

Skinner’s Santa Fe studio sits in the Big Tesuque Canyon overlooking the year-round Big Tesuque River. Built into the hills with recycled barn wood beams from Oregon, this modern adobe style building provides the ultimate retreat away from the city. Steel beams are used for the open portico, offering light patterns throughout the day, on the khaki-colored exterior walls. Skinner finds numerous artistic inspiration just outside her windows, with wildlife visitors including ravens, bear, coyotes and mountain lions, as well as her horses in the paddocks below. Nellie and Abbie, her Jack Russells are her continuous visitors looking for cookies.