Cie Hoover

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Cie’s art has grown in recognition since receiving the Mayor’s Choice Award at the Inaugural 610 Arts Collective Regional Arts Exhibition back in April of 2019. Since that time he has continued to explore woodworking as a creative and artistic medium. After buying and remodeling an old 1898 mining house in Ouray, CO, Cie discovered the versatility of wood as an art medium and began transforming his garage into his woodworking studio. The majority of Cie's work is based on and inspired by the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. After creating a "wood canvas" Cie utilizes various routers, saws, and stains to create his artwork. A number of his works also incorporate the use of sound waves as an artistic element and subtle dictation of what the work embodies.

Artist statement: My work is a tactile exploration of the natural world, rooted in the medium of wood and expressed through both intricate wall-mounted reliefs and free-standing sculptural forms. Living in the San Juan Mountains, I am endlessly inspired by the rugged topography of the alpine landscapes that surround me. I treat wood not as a passive substrate, but as a collaborator; I utilize subtractive carving, wood-burning, and various pigments to reveal the organic patterns within the grain, allowing the material’s innate character to guide the aesthetic of each piece.

This "organic contemporary" style is a rhythmic bridge between my past in the music industry and my present in the studio. I view the textures of a forest or the shifting shadows of a peak as a visual rhythm—a direct influence drawn from my background in sound and composition. Whether carving the sweeping contours of a mountain ridgeline or shaping a three-dimensional sculpture, my goal is to distill the vastness of the outdoors into tangible, textured forms.

By translating these organic patterns into structured wooden works, I aim to create a dialogue between the viewer and the environment. My process serves to frame the raw power of the mountain spirit through a contemporary, architectural lens, allowing the energy of the wilderness to permeate the modern spaces we inhabit. Ultimately, my work is a meditation on the untamed spirit of the West—an invitation to contemplate the essential connection between the landscape and the soul, offering a sense of grounded tranquility and connection to the ephemeral beauty of the wild.