Susan McKinney is a ceramic artist and award winning designer. Susan began exploring clay’s materiality in 2008, connecting her passion for inventive design with natural materials. Today, Susan’s work is known for its expressive forms, uniquely woven style, and boundary pushing experimentation.

​Her design contributions over the past 12 years are notable, with honors from IDEA, Spark, FastCo Innovation by Design, and the National Design Award from her 7 years at New Deal Design, a renowned design agency in SF.

​In 2017, Susan founded SKINNY, an art and design studio. She both makes and sells her one of a kind work and provides design consulting services to clients.

Her work seeks to connect people to the wonders of the natural world, especially the unseen ones.

​In 2019 SKINNY debuted an exclusive collection with West Elm, that launched nationwide in stores and online. She has been awarded two international ceramic residencies in Greece and Denmark. Based in Marin, she is a member of Wheelhouse, a ceramic collective in Sausalito. She also volunteers at Pond Farm Pottery, a Bauhaus rooted historical landmark for California pottery, nestled in the Armstrong Redwood Forest.