Dots and other markings cluster in ripples, circles and shapes on canvases of wood, almost as if etched by insects.
Altogether, the carvings and glimmering paint washes illustrate larger forms of the San Juan Mountains, wildlife and other abstract images.
One of these signature wooden designs hangs outside Cie Gallery, bearing the name of Ouray’s newest fine art display.
The storefront at 738 Main St. in Ouray is distinct from its neighbors by its modern, honey-colored wooden facade, handcrafted by artist and gallery owner Cie Hoover.
Hoover’s redesign of the space echoes the start of his entire woodworking career, which began with renovations to the first home he and his wife, Karisa, owned in Ouray. The couple moved to the area about eight years ago from Nashville, winding down from a fulltime gig touring with their band, You Knew Me When. The duo played their first show in the area in Ridgway and still play on occasion, including having headlined the Mountain Air Music Series in Ouray.
While renovating their home, Hoover began toying with tools and wood scraps, working on small projects such as detailing the ceiling of their new basement. What started small evolved into an art form, using wood to evoke the spirit of the San Juans. His work often nods to his background as a musician and former global events manager for Gibson Guitar Corporation.
The first woodworking piece Hoover gained recognition for synthesizes those elements: a painted etching of the Sneffels and Cimarron mountain ranges, sandwiching a ripple shape that is the sound wave for the word Ridgway. Hoover credits receiving the Ridgway Mayor’s Choice Award in 2019 for that piece as a launch pad for his career.
“It was a very big, kind of, catalyst moment to be like, OK, there might be something more here worth delving into,” Hoover said.
From that moment on, Hoover continued to experiment and expand his work, pursuing large public installations, gallery shows and collaborations in Colorado and beyond, including similar mountain towns.
He created his first public installation for Ridgway, a twirling, cascading wood sculpture titled “Crescendo” installed at the Ridgway Athletic Park. A much larger sculpture in a similar style hangs from the entryway of Hoover’s new gallery. The project was a temporary installation for the Nashville International Airport to promote the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
His largest-scale permanent installation — an 18-foot-tall and 40-foot-wide piece — just debuted at the Durango-La Plata County Airport by the baggage claim area. You may even find some of his designs while riding a chairlift — he’s worked on more than 20 pairs of skis in partnership with Wagner Custom Skis in Mountain Village.
Hoover is also part of two other galleries, but is proud to have a home of his own. Redesigning the two-story gallery space — from a photography gallery with a home studio on top — was in many ways its own art project. Hoover is most proud of opening up a section of the second floor to display the large art sculpture relocated from Nashville. The large floor-to-ceiling windows are also a unique touch, allowing natural light to play with many of the distinct textures in Hoover’s work.
Aside from being a place to showcase his art, Hoover wants the gallery to be a dynamic venue for smaller concerts and other gatherings and other creative work. His wife Karisa, a music teacher for Ouray School, obtained a cottage foods license and started selling homemade vegan baked goods from the space with the “Cie What’s Baking” label.
And since it opened, a customer contacted Hoover asking if he could design a custom piece for a wedding engagement at the venue.
“That was a fun kind of out of the gate, unique (commission), and not the type of thing I necessarily planned on,” Hoover said.
Though some may view owning and opening the gallery as the pinnacle of an artist’s career, Hoover sees it as another jumping-off point. He now has his own studio space below the gallery and a home in the back of the building where he and Karisa live.
“(It’s) more of a place where I can really hunker down and be creative and showcase my art,” Hoover said.
Hoover wants to start working in his gallery too, so others can see his process.
“ A lot of my successes come from people who are engaged and inquisitive about my process and how I do things.
So I think having a workspace, physically in the gallery, and being able to answer questions and personally interact with people, will be a nice touch to it all,” Hoover said.
For more information, call 615-260-8835 or visit ciecreativeco.com.
