Something Old/Something New Sunscout Studio // Vincent Falsetta Conduit Gallery // 2023 Honor Awards

‘24 // conduit gallery | vincent falsetta retrospective: works from 1975 to 2023

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Something Old Something New

by J. Claiborne Bowdon

by J. Claiborne Bowdon

// groveland house - craig kuhner architectural photography

Most people, especially its residents, when asked about East Dallas will remark how it seems like its own special corner of the city, and a lot of that character comes from some of the city’s oldest surviving homes and buildings.

In fact, Swiss Avenue, the celebrated boulevard of grand homes and majestic oaks, was Dallas’ first historic district.

While the area does have some contemporary homes

most of the architectural styles you’ll find date from the early 1900s and prior spanning Tudor, Colonial, Georgian, Victorian, and Prairie. It’s no wonder that this was the birthplace of Sunscout Studio, the design firm of Greg and Chantal Hickman, a husband and wife team that specialize in breathing new life into old spaces.

// greg + chantal hickman

“We actually met back in high school,” Greg began, “We didn’t date back then not by choice, I wanted to, but she wasn’t quite ready for it, but after years of pursuit I finally landed her.” Sometimes it’s not always easy to see the possibility of what’s right in front of you, but once you do the rest takes care of itself and in the end it just increases the wonder of the result. Like so many young couples just starting to build a new life together Greg and Chantal only had so much of a budget, but working within those constraints to create their own vision of home they found their vocation. “It kind of started, I guess it was 2009, we

bought our first home right after we got married. It was an 1100 square foot home, and by thrifting and picking out some, at the time, bold color choices I was able to score some really cool breeze blocks from a house getting demo’d not far away- we turned the house into something very special and we got lots of feedback from friends and family that sort of sparked this interest for us to do this over and over and eventually turn this into a business.”

Not everyone can afford a new contemporary build, but, if you are lucky enough to find an existing home that doesn’t mean you have to be trapped by ancient shag

// interfaith peace chapel at cathedral of hope

Cozy Contemporary

carpeting, the space taken up by a wet/dry bar, leaded windows, or other design choices that have seen their day. That’s where the Hickman’s talent shines. An older home doesn’t resist a modern aesthetic and way of living.

It just takes some practiced eyes and imagination to see its potential. Some of the Hickman’s favorite features are original tile, built-in planters, mill work “We’re suckers for vaulted ceilings.”

Chantal described their process as “We tend to walk the space and look for areas that we know we can save and salvage and then try to work around that, but also we want to accommodate the modern family and modern living. Sometimes we can’t save as much as we would want to but we know that families would want a bigger pantry, or a higher shower head, or a mudroom. We love modern design and we also love original charm.” “Like a ‘vintage modern’ is what we kind of call it.” Greg added.

// cobalt homes | nimmo architecture

That perfectly encapsulates the overall feel of what they accomplish. Even when the walls are a modern gallery white there’s warmth to the spaces. How do they arrive at their choices? Chantal continued “It depends on the home. Before 2020 open floor plans were all the rage and when the pandemic hit I think people started realizing ‘you know we need some separation,’ so I think walking

(the house) we think ‘oh well this entryway really should be open more.’ With our latest project we actually kept it as original as it was because we kept in mind people needing to be away from their children in certain circumstances, and we love to create spaces that have a feeling that have emotion but also gives you functionality.”

While they have been hired to redesign some homes their work has become its own billboard-most of their practice has focused on finding great homes that could use a second life. Once they find one they set to work. Chantal emphasized “We do every single little detail of the house.

Plumbing, electrical, all new fixtures, all new lighting, there’s nothing that doesn’t get touched.” That includes the outside as well as the inside. Greg added “Something

I think that a bunch of people that do this overlook is curb appeal, and we certainly spend maybe too much money doing it, but it’s not just a coat of paint. Maybe it’s reshaping flower beds, or it might be a total re-sod for a backyard, but we want to turn the keys over to as close to a new home while having the soul of the original one as possible.”

That attention to detail is seen everywhere. The landscaping showcases the same careful mix of textures, shapes, and patterns the Hickmans use on the interiors through paint, tile, stone, flooring, and light fixtures that so complement each other it results in a thoroughly organic relationship between all the elements. Greg allowed that it’s no accident. “The hours that go into it behind the scenes is exhausting for what we put into it.

Their next project is very personal. “Since we’ve sold our recent project we’ve been living in our house for the past seven years, and with two kids and a large dog it’s kind of taken a beating, so we’re actually focusing on ourselves for the moment.” With any luck they’ll share their progress and the final result on their Instagram. It’s sure to be something special. // scoutdesignstudio

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O 469.273.1431 M 214.205.9985 levy.porpino@elliman.com

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BY A LICENSED APPRAISER UNDER THE UNIFORM STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL APPRAISAL PRACTICE.

// fn 22-3, 2022, oil on canvas, 48h x 44w inc

Vincent Falsetta Retrospective: Works from1975 to 2023 by cinzia franceschini

// 91-201, 1991, acrylic on paper, 40h x 60w in

Entering the bright space of Conduit Gallery, one instantly dives into a flow: a cadenced movement of shapes, thick brushstrokes of color, and chromatic harmonies blend on the walls. The works by Vincent Falsetta (b.1949) occupy the context-free hall of the gallery with their original rhythm; they give a vital pulse in a neutral white cube, detached from reality.

The wide-ranging retrospective dedicated to the painter is the eighth of the artist’s solo exhibitions in Conduit space, and it is extremely rich. The nearly fifty years of his career

(1975-present) are meticulously collected by the gallery’s curators, providing a comprehensive overview of Falsetta’s production. Retrospective: Works from 1975 - 2023 is a catalog raisonné with the guise of an exhibition; it highlights the changes in intentions and the variations in media and techniques that distinguish the refined painter’s research. The media canvas, paper, or panel, the formats, and also the technique with a significant shift from acrylic to oil painting change. However, Falsetta’s painting always reveals a firm consistency. There is a theoretical and formal grid that is kept constant in all of his

works: the creative flow keeps transforming, but it is always lucid, organized, and controlled. // w 99-2, 1999, oil on canvas, 65h x 55w in

Vincent Falsetta’s paintings at Conduit Gallery masterfully reconcile naturalness and control, improvisation and measure. The painter’s long meditation on gestural abstraction, led him to realize spontaneous and logical works. The brushstrokes create forms that draw on the natural world, such as sound waves, reflections of light, seismic activity, or sections of minerals. Shapes and colors are placed in a planned horizontal and vertical structure. The feeling is of being in front of a lively but measured, planned, harmonious universe, as in a musical score.

// 91-201, 1991 acrylic on paper, 40h x 60w inches

// 85-6, 1985, acrylic on canvas, 55h x 50w in

The visitor’s eye follows the many directions of the brushstroke, which appear interrelated, knotted, and never confused. The world of textiles, an area in which Falsetta did his early job, has greatly contributed to defining his imagery. The canvas becomes a weave of warp and weft, and the color, dense and bright, is “woven” into his paintings.

The chronological approach of the retrospective allows the viewer, whether already a lover of Falsetta’s work or a neo-

phyte, to appreciate its creative evolution. The exhibition opens with a robust core of early works, realized between 1975 and 1988, including the more intimate, paper-based series of the 1970s, Sound Waves, and its canvas and large-format counterparts of the 1980s. It continues until the more recent investigations of 2022 and 2023, where the eye runs fast in attempting to follow his teeming forms.

A relevant spotlight is, then, focused on the milestone of

// 80-7, 1980 acrylic on canvas, 70h x 70w in

// 92-2, 1992, acrylic on canvas, 55h x 65w in

1997, the year in which Falsetta approached the use of oil paint, replacing acrylic. The change of technique leads to an inevitable reshaping, determining a more gestural visual impact. Falsetta’s research focuses on the physical properties of the paint. The painter is a skillful experimenter: he applies thick oil paint and wet-on-wet techniques, color overlays and glazes, and different hand pressures, rhythms, and speeds to achieve different results; he also uses tools such as cardboard and palette knives. The effects on the painting are varied and calculated.

Falsetta’s works are, therefore, only seemingly the result of improvisation. The method of his practice is highlighted by the gallery’s choice to display in the Project Room Space also the documentation of his whole process of work. Index card drawings, and text drawings as to-do lists, testify to the planning and measuring work conducted by the painter. The archive is an interesting aspect of this retrospective: it opens the door to a perhaps obsessive world of measurements and recordings...but one that makes Falsetta’s works so thoughtful.

// fp 23-3, 2023, oil on canvas, 35h x 35w in)

// a 97-1, 1997, oil on canvas, 65h x 55w in

Vincent Falsetta is now living and working in Denton as a full-time artist and has been an Emeritus Professor since 1977 at the University of North Texas. His paintings have been displayed in more than 52 solo and 350 group exhibitions and are part of prestigious public and private collections, such as the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Houston Museum of Fine Art, and El Paso Museum of Art, among many other renowned institutions. The retrospective at Conduit Gallery is a precious opportunity to approach the work

of a measured and thoughtful artist whose mental order and clarity of thought are echoed in every piece.

“My paintings evoke the natural world while acknowledging the technology that measures or records it,” Falsetta said in a recent interview. And it is that measure, that manic study capable of interpreting a fluid world, that gives strong energy to its production. Each work is a new piece that answers new compositional questions. // conduitgallery

CADDALLAS.ORG 2024 MEMBERS Conduit Gallery Craighead Green Gallery Cris Worley Fine Arts Erin Cluley Gallery Galleri Urbane Holly Johnson Gallery Keijsers Koning Laura Rathe Fine Art Meliksetian | Briggs PDNB Gallery Pencil on Paper Gallery RO2 Art Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden

2023 Honor Awards:

Nate Eudaly, Hon. TxA | Honorary Membership

Dallas has had the good fortune to become the home to buildings from some of the twentieth century’s greatest architects. Our skyline is one of the most recognizable in the world as a result, and then, of course, there are the street level jewels such as the Meyerson Symphony Hall

by I.M. Pei, the Kalita Humphreys theater by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Rachofsky house by Richard Meier. The list goes on, and it’s easy to forget it, which is why someone that celebrates this lineage and works to advance it is such a remarkably crucial component to its health and

our understanding of it. There are many different criteria that an individual must meet for admission to the American Institute of Architects if they are not an architect, as well as being nominated. This January the AIA has conferred that honor to Nate Eudaly, the longtime Executive Director of The Dallas Architecture Forum. Their are many reasons why Eudaly has been admitted, and it is worth taking the time to take it in and think about what he has made possible for Dallas.

// sharon johnston & mark lee partners - johnston marklee

“One of North Texas’ most prominent voices, Nate Eudaly, Hon. AIA, has helped transform Dallas into an architecturally mindful city, continually enlightening the profession and the public at large. As its executive director for almost 20 years, Eudaly has positioned The Dallas Architecture Forum as an international design exchange that connects the city with the rest of the world.

The Forum gathers thought leaders in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, design, and urbanism to foster critical dialogue and educational opportunities

concerning the world’s most pressing issues. Featured presenters include a long list of Pritzker and Pulitzer prize winners, as well as AIA and ASLA gold medal recipients.

Throughout his tenure, Eudaly has led the forum in organizing over 215 lectures, 100 panel discussions, and 60 special events that have reached more than 70,000 people. As a result of Eudaly’s vision and efforts, The Forum has been recognized with an AIA Collaborative Achievement Award, a citation of honor from the Texas Society of Architects, and an AIA Dallas Community Honor Award.

// lorcan o’herlihy architects - formosa1140

michael sorenson - partner and design direcfor henning larsen architects

The Forum’s Lecture Series speakers hail from or have completed projects in every continent.

They offer their audiences opportunities to discover work in underserved communities in developed nations as well as projects in developing countries. Eudaly works closely with The Forum’s programming committee to develop the seasonal slate of speakers, relying on an evaluation framework that includes numerous key elements from AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence.

The variety of speakers and projects, which span smallscale residential to significant master plans, bolsters the insight and empathy of lecture attendees while simultaneously highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing communities worldwide. Similarly, The Forum’s free Panel Discussions, the audience for which has grown significantly throughout Eudaly’s leadership, focus on important topics such as climate change, design justice, and preservation in the nation’s cities.

michael maltzan - principal michael maltzan architecture

Eudaly is a vital contributor to Columns, AIA Dallas’ award-winning magazine, having penned more than 30 articles and critiques. He also conceived and produced, with a small team of The Forum’s board members, Dallas Modern, a monograph that highlights 20 residences in the city that exemplify modern Dallas living at its finest.

Eudaly was the primary author and co-design director for the monograph, which is a timeless and vibrant tribute to rigorous architectural design.

arts communities. He has also prioritized mentorship of emerging professionals, ensuring that The Forum’s resources are invested in the lives of its nearly 20 architect and designer volunteers. In addition, he supports the next generation of design leaders by serving on the board of CityLab High School Foundation, which prepares and encourages Latinx and African American students to pursue architecture training in college.”

Through his role at The Forum, Eudaly has proven himself an invaluable ambassador for the architecture and

// dallasarchitectureforum

Engage Educate Experience Enjoy

The Dallas Architecture Forum is for everyone who wants to experience inspired design. The Forum presents an award-winning Lecture Series that brings outstanding architects,interior designers, landscape architects and urban planners from around the world, as well as Symposia, Receptions at architecturally significant residences, and Panel Discussions on issues impacting North Texas.

  dallasarchitectureforum.org

MODERN SPACES

1747 Leonard Street #1402 // $4,500,000 RYAN STREIFF c. 469.371.3008 ryan@daveperrymiller.com

2025 Summit Ave // $2,150,000 LEVY PORPINO c: 214.205.9985 levy.porpino@elliman.com

4231 West Lawther Drive // $13,977,000 JOHN WEBER c. 214..679.2427 john.weber@compass.com

3739 Manana Drive // $1,600,000 MATT SCOBEE c. 214.402.8935 matt@iconicres.com

REALESTATE: Faisal Halum Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

DEVELOPER: Diane Cheatham Urban Commons

ARCHITECTURE: Ron Stelmarski Perkins&Will

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// sculptural nest chair was born out of inspiration from the simple beauty found in a bird’s nest by rick lee available. thayercoggin

// tied-up romance kateřina handlová available: smink

// alessi la atanza dello scirocco centerpiece by mario trimarchi available: alessi

your modern

calendar

Modern events and activities make for fun around the Metroplex.

WALKING TOURS Discover the Arts District + Fair Park Tram Tour Ad Ex InTown Outings

PRESERVATION DALLAS BIANCA BONDI + CHLOE CHIASSON Dallas Contemporary

PLASTERS AND BRONZES BY JEAN (HANS) ARP Nasher Sculpture Center

TIFFANY CHUNG: RISE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE BACKS IN FASHION: MANGBETU WOMENS’S EGBE THE KEIR COLLECTION OF ISLAMIC ART GALLERY Dallas Museum Of Art

JAPAN, FORM & FUNCTION EXHIBITION Crow Museum Of Asian Art

JAUNE QUICK-TO-SEE SMITH The Modern Art Museum

THE WORLD OUTSIDE: LOUISE NELSON AT MIDCENTURY The Amon Carter Museum of American Art

modern

art galleries

Modern art, exhibits, around the Metroplex.

VINCENT FALSETTA Conduit Gallery

DECADES GROUP SHOW Barry Whistler Gallery

CEDRIC INGRAM Kirk Hopper Fine Art

JOAN WINTER Holly Johnson Gallery

MELANIE CLEMMONS + ZAK LOYD Liliana Bloch Gallery

JIM WOODSON Valley House Gallery

MICHAEL KENNA + KEITH CARTER PDNB Gallery

CORRI-LYNN TETZ + URARA TSUCHIYA 12. 26

WINSTON LEE MASCARENHAS + BETWEEN THE LINES Craighead Green Gallery

APPLAUSE Keijsers Konig

HUNT SLONEM Laura Rathe Fine Art