From Mountains to Clay

Studio CIGO is a ceramic art practice rooted in the belief that ideas deserve to become tangible objects. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, our work embodies the tension between intention and the unpredictable nature of fire and material. Clay found me early. Growing up in the mountains, I made my first figurines as a small child from mining clay—the same dense earth the miners used to pack around blasting charges to fracture rock faces. There was something in taking that raw, industrial material and shaping it into something small and alive that never let go of me. I learned to be a potter from a book, in 1997, beginning with “The Potter's Primer” by Morgen Hall. I committed to the ancient craft of working earth, chemistry and fire then and that continues today.

Ideas to Life

"Ideas to Life" guides every piece created at Studio CIGO. The philosophy embraces:

  • Imperfection as honesty - Irregularities show where human hands met unpredictable materials

  • Zero waste - Clay dust and failed pieces cycle back into the process

  • Fire as collaborator - Techniques like Raku and pit-firing surrender control to smoke and flame

  • Narrative value - Each piece carries story, whether honoring community resilience or marking personal meaning

By the Way

On the way to the studio, I arrived after a full career as a Principal Security Architect, designing security frameworks that have stood the test of time and advising organizations on threats before they had names.

Along the way, I authored two books, contributed to government white papers on emerging security tactics, and spoke at industry conferences to global audiences.

Writing was always there, too. I have always been a poet since I was a small child. Words and clay have always traveled together for me, one pressed into paper, the other pressed into earth. Someday, fiction.

For now, the poems find their way into the pottery, one intention word at a time.

Cindy Green-Ortiz, Artist
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA