About Cynthia
The conversation begins the moment clay and I meet.
The moment my hands touch the clay an intimate dialogue begins. For me, the act of creating is to step into ceremony, a timeless bridge linking me to ancient ancestors. By using traditional handbuilding techniques that have been passed down for thousands of years, I connect with a lineage of makers. These methods are not just functional, they are a way of remembering, of feeling into the lives, hands, and spirits of those who came before.
This slow, intentional process demands presence. It is a meditation, not to empty the mind, but to connect and ground into the body. Through this deep presence, I access layers within myself, create space to feel what’s been stored, and touch the legacy of those who once practiced these same techniques. Each piece becomes a conversation with spiritual Grandmothers and Grandfathers—a physical object woven from spirit, memory, and ancestral energy.
My work with clay is more than artistic expression; it is an offering, a prayer, and a spiritual journey. From that inherently vulnerable approach, I find connection, presence and healing. Each form that emerges is a testament to the beauty and challenges of deliberate slowness, the power of tradition, and the sacred union of creation.
My Clay Story
I've always felt a deep connection to traditional crafts and ancestral processes.
As a child, I was drawn to making things by hand - starting with my own garden, making dolls and doll clothes, teaching myself to knit and crochet, then moving into canning, preserving food, basket weaving, and traditional backstrap weaving. My passion has always been guided by the question:
“How did they used to do it?”
In 2021, I took a wheel pottery class, but the process didn’t capture me. It was when I switched to a handbuilding class that something lit up inside me. That same guiding question “How did they used to do it?” opened the door to exploring ancient and traditional handbuilding techniques, the ways of the ancestors.
Within months, I found myself in Mexico, connecting to part of my own ancestral lineage and learning directly from the Maestras—women who carry generations of knowledge, passed down through their families. I came home and began practicing, translating what I had learned using store-bought, processed clay. It's a stark contrast to the earth these women would dig from the hills, processing it by hand in a labor of love and ritual. Even without access to those same materials, the experience broadened my guiding inquiry from how the work is done, to connecting with the deep meaning brought up in creating.
This path—rooted in clay, culture, and memory—has become an intimate part of my relationship to healing and ancestral connection. Claywork for me is a meditation, a quiet weaving of moments. The slowness invites stillness. It grounds me in the present, opens space for reflection, deepens my spiritual connection, and brings forward emotions ready to be held.
I am continuing to find my voice through clay. I look forward to wherever this journey leads, and I am grateful to remain open to the mystery and challenges and joys of what’s to come, and thank you for coming along this journey with me!
