modciti.dallas - issue 11 July 2020

jul ‘20

// hocker design photo: millicent harvey

1019 Dragon Street | Dallas | Design District | 214.350.0542 | www.sminkinc.com

// all photos: millicent harvey

prairie home companion

by Kendall Morgan

An expert landscape architect must do many things— blend a home seamlessly into its natural surroundings, balance the rigidity of a modernist abode, or create an outdoor “room” topped by a ceiling of foliage and sky.

Dallas-based Hocker has mastered all of these challenges and more. The landscape architecture firm has established an internationally renowned reputation that remains firmly planted in the city’s terra firma, where they began.

Earning over 40 awards, including the 2019 American Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence and the 2020 Texas Chapter ASLA Honor Award, president David L. Hocker and managing partner L. Biff Sturgess have gone from strength to strength within the industry.

Over the past 15 years, residential projects have garnered as much attention as their commercial sites (including the Belmont Hotel, Forty Five Ten, Sylvan Thirty, the Eagle Family Plaza at the Dallas Museum of Art and the non-profit art space The Power Station).

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“always to the trade only”

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An innate sense of what works in Texas’s native landscapes comes naturally to the partners, who were both raised with agricultural roots.

“The land, to us, forms that background,” says Sturgess.

“David’s family had a farm near Bonham, and my father was a farmer and rancher. I think we have a different respect for the land than the average Joe, and frankly than some other landscape architects. We understand the treatment of soil, and we understand the value of water as a commodity. All of that is uber-important in our world, especially with climate change.”

Encouraged to be creative from an early age, design principal David Hocker was first exposed to native plants as a middle schooler working at a yard service. Secure enough in his future to apply to just one college—Texas A&M—he was accepted to the institution’s five-year landscape architecture program. A decision to spend his fourth year abroad in Italy in 1999 solidified his dedication to design and allowed him to meet his future wife, Gisela Borghi, the firm’s creative director.

“My life experiences in the Tuscan region of Italy became my metamorphosis,” Hocker recalls. “I can honestly

// photos credit james f. wilson

pinpoint the fall of 1999 as a transformative, life-altering event that expanded my horizons and infused me with a newfound zeal for life and affirmed my passion for design and construction‌this connection to Italy continually shapes and informs my design sensibilities.�

Meanwhile, Sturgess had studied architecture at college, yet ended up working in software. When the tech crash derailed his job, a business consultant, he went back to school at the University of Texas in Arlington, applying to a local architecture firm to get real-world exposure while he completed his degree. There, he met David Hocker, and the two began a professional relationship and friendship that has spanned nearly two decades.

Thought, detail, careful fabrication, and labor are made manifest in craft, a material expression of meaning that is the soul of all of our projects. At its most intimate, craft is the revelation of how something is made. The effect is like topping time, where the human hand is ingrained forever in the material. Viewed both singly and en masse, works of craft expose the magnetism of time and effort, and draw attention to the commitment inherent in making beauty.

When perfectly executed, craft is both seen and felt by the observer, its rightness delivering a sense of inevitability and of something with natural integrity that will stand the test of time.

When David Hocker left the firm to launch his shop in 2005, Sturgess worked with him for over a year before taking on stints at other companies in Houston and Austin. Throughout his time away from Hocker, the two stayed in touch, and Sturgess returned to the firm as managing partner in 2014.

With a collective mission to establish a landscape as a cohesive link between a project’s architecture and site, the duo collaborates closely with each client, architect, and contractor.

Through free-flowing conversation and David Hocker’s visual, note-taking approach, Hocker delivers a solution that encompasses the five qualities they hold most dear: material, structure, texture, layers, and craft. According to David Hocker, the latter might be considered the most significant component for its “natural integrity that will stand the test of time.”

This trait makes every Hocker project feel consistent, even as the final result may vary in tone and theme.

“We are known for the minimal industrial appeal of the Power Station, but arguably our residential work ranges from hyper-minimalism to more minimalist versions of traditional landscape. I don’t think it’s a style that can be defined. I think it’s more about the exploration of materials, including stone aggregate, steel and plant material.”

// connoisseur’s loft

Hocker design has an opportunity to illustrate what makes their style unique in the upcoming monograph “Hocker: 2005-2020 Landscapes,” out in September from Monacelli Press (distributed by Phaidon). As projects the partners are proud of didn’t make the publishing deadline, they envision continuing the tradition with further books down the line.

For all their success, Hocker and Sturgess feel the most important legacy for their small but mighty firm is an abiding affection for the land and for the business that helps

to show it off to its best advantage. “Overwhelmingly, team members at Hocker possess a love of design and passion for landscape architecture. I don’t believe that any of us would be at a firm like ours if we didn’t really appreciate quality built work. That can’t always be said for everyone in the industry,” says Sturgess.

Collectors interested in adding Hocker: 2005-2020 Landscapes to their shelf can order the book from the Phaidon website at 20% off using the discount code MON20, valid through August 31. hockerdesign.com

KATHLEEN PACKLICK MISPLACED MEMORY

SARAH HUTT MY MOTHER’S LEGACY

JULY 11–AUGUST 22, 2020 KIRK HOPPER FINE ART • DALLAS

// photos: jeremy biggers

BIGGER THAN LIFE

by Kendall Morgan

Hyper-realistic and saturated with color, the works of painter Jeremy Biggers are making their mark all over Dallas.

You may have seen his tribute to cool Britannia in the coffee shop at the new Virgin Hotel, or his series of rock stars (including Bowie, Beyoncé, and Prince) taking selfies in the property’s bathrooms. Maybe you’ve spotted his murals honoring Selena, Martin Luther King, or rapper Nipsey Hussle on industrial walls. Or had your day brightened by the water tower on Riverfront Boulevard, he dressed up as the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz.”

It may seem that Biggers is suddenly everywhere, but his climb to ubiquity was a long time coming. Raised in South Dallas, the artist spent most of his childhood with pen in hand but didn’t consider art a legitimate career path until he was accepted to Booker T. Washington High School.

“Growing up, my family wasn’t an art family—I don’t think I actually saw art until I went into high school. Once I realized I could draw, I started drawing cartoon characters and found I got a big response when I could make it look exactly like what I was replicating. So it ended up being something I fell in love with—that feeling and response.”

He may have honed his photo-realist style at an early age, but it took him a little longer to segue into the role of fulltime creator. Post-graduation from the University of Texas at Arlington, Biggers fell into the corporate grind. When his mom passed away in 2007, he decided it was time to commit to an artist’s life.

shows at the South Dallas Cultural Center and Kettle Art, garnering his first solo exhibition at the Fairmont Gallery in 2012. In the meantime, he had also figured out how to harness the power of Instagram—a platform that gives him a direct outlet to collectors without having to align himself with a single gallery for representation.

“I hated every single second (of corporate life), so I tried to get out on my own and create art and photography full time. It was a complete and utter failure, but it definitely taught me a lot about myself and my resiliency, and it built that hustle of how to pay bills and stay afloat.”

With nearly 20k followers, he posts under the moniker @ stemandthorn; a name carried over from a long-defunct clothing brand he started with some friends in college that holds a deeper meaning.

By the mid-2000s, Biggers was included in group

“Everyone respects a rose for its finished product, but no one respects the stuff that allows that rose to get to

CONTACT

DALLAS

214.828.9888 www.collageclassics.com info@collageclassics.com

2034 Irving Blvd.

Dallas, TX 75207

NEW YORK 200 Lexington Ave. #1058 New York, NY 10016

Conoid Table and Chairs George Nakashima

maturity,” Biggers says. “So, I distilled it into the stem giving it its nutrients and the thorn protecting it. I wanted something celebrating that back-end work (of creating) because people don’t know how the sausage is made. I don’t do the brand anymore, but I still like the sentiment.”

Both big-name and local clients seem to as well, including Nike, the Mavericks, the Sweet Tooth Hotel, and Universal (the latter of which hired Biggers last year to paint a downtown mural for the release of “Terminator: Dark Fate”). Because his work may encompass so many different themes and brands, the artist has decided to adhere to a singular color palette in recent years. That way, even the most casual viewer will recognize a piece as a Jeremy Biggers original at first glance.

“Even when I’m doing a project, I wanted it to be something that when you see it, you know it’s mine,” he explains. “What it boiled down to is that I can do that easilyby establishing a color palette and dots.

Because a lot of the works (are exploring) what it means to be a Black man in America, I wanted to do stylized red, white, blue, and black.”

Though Biggers is busier than ever, he makes a point of giving back to the community, both through his shockingly affordable pricing (his signature lip paintings hover at around $350) and by creating at least one pro bono mural a year in the neighborhood he grew up in.

“Don’t get me wrong; of course, I want to make money, but I know personally I couldn’t always afford art. For me, art is more for the people at large, and it’s important for me to make it affordable. It’s important to show other Black and brown kids who grow up where I grew up that you CAN do this for a living—it’s not just something you see in movies.”

// vernon fisher, who am i, 2020 acrylic on canvas 73h x 83d in

The artist’s subject matter is always evolving. He’s currently exploring how he feels about our fractious times with a red, white and blue collage of cops and KKK Klansmen entitled “This is America,” and “Our Lady of the Quarantine,” portraying his wife, musician Sam Lao, wearing a gas mask in a Renaissance-style pose. Yet, throughout every project he takes on, there is a consistent visual language that is his alone.

“I wanted to cultivate a signature style and allow that to transform. I don’t ever want it to be that you saw a piece in 2015, and you see one in 2020, and there’s no connection. I’m always growing with my subject matter and composition, but remaining true to what’s gotten me to this point.” jeremybiggers.com

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New York 200 Lexington #1059 New York, NY 10016

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MODERN SPACES

10241 E. Lake Highlands Drive // $1,050,000 BECKY FREY c: 214.536.4727 becky.frey@compass.com

8179 San Benito Way // $1,595,000 Jacob Moss 214.335.1719 jacob.moss@compass.com

4331 Travis Street // $1,450,000 FAISAL HALUM c. 214.240.2575 fhalum@briggsfreeman.com

3505 Turtle Creek Blvd #18D // $2,999,000 MISSY WOEHR + ILENE CHRIST c: 214.213.9455 missy.ilene@compass.com

Midcentury Meets Modern Minimalism

// photo credit: bliss katherine

by Leah Shafer

Inspired by the midcentury modern mecca of Palm Springs, California, one Dallas couple is making their mark in the local real estate market.

Stesha and Daniel Gearner both flip and stage houses and their aesthetic is atomic-era-meetsminimalist-modern with a dash of Scandinavian and a lot of flair.

The Gearners bought, renovated, and sold their first Dallas house in 2009, moving about once a year as they would “zhoosh up” a property and want to do it again and earn a little money.

“In 2016, we thought we could do this for a living and we bought our first intentional flip,” Stesha said.

“We did that for about two years and flipped about five houses.”

What started as a hobby has become a thriving business, East Dallas Modern, and their work sells fast. Realtors have taken notice.

“Stesha and Daniel have always had an eye for what’s trending and current in the marketplace,” said David Collier, a Realtor with David Griffin & Company Realtors. “Their style resonates with so many buyers: millennials, empty nesters, and everyone in between. Clients see in their work a lifestyle they want to live.”

That lifestyle is pure eye candy, with clean, crisp lines, lots of light, and an appealing mix of vintage originals, sleek reproductions, and contemporary

// photo credit: natalie barrett

You’ll definitely look like a great cook.

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Show off your culinary acumen in the Alea kitchen from Poliform.

Dallas 1617 Hi Line Dr. Ste. 100 214.748.9838 Austin 115 W. 8th St. 512.480.0436 scottcooner.com

// photo credit: virtuance real estate photography // cassina 551 super beam sofa

// photo credit: virtuance real estate photography

pieces. You might find an iconic Preway fireplace hanging near Jonathan Adler chairs with a Loloi rug and a CB2 coffee table. They make it work together beautifully. (Be sure to check out their Instagram channel, @eastdallasmodern, for some other inspired looks.)

“Realtors would ask about our staging work and we started doing that part time, but in the past year, especially during the pandemic, that part of the business has just grown exponentially,” Stesha said. “We have found we

really enjoy it.” Currently, they’ve got 14 houses staged and one mid-flip, with four additional clients who want their help with interior design decisions.

“We were definitely busy staging at end of 2019, and we would have three to five homes staged at a time,” Daniel said. “We were finishing a flip in March of this year and during the first week of shelter in place, we started getting a ton of email and text and calls [about our availability for staging] – we are very busy now.”

Just how popular are the East Dallas Modern houses? That flip they completed in March received multiple offers and sold in three weeks.

They don’t rent furniture for their flips and staging – they buy and mix vintage with current. Favorite shops include Beatnik Fine Goods and Magic Hour in Bishop Arts and The Garage Collective in Laguna Beach, California. Vintage shopping on Facebook Marketplace is also a common source.

The couple credit a willingness to invest in inventory and buy high quality items for the authenticity and appeal of their look.

“We didn’t learn how to stage from stagers – it was always about owning our homes and having it as our style and lived in,” Stesha said. “We really want the space to feel like home.”

But it wasn’t always this way. Before a trip to Palm Springs in 2015, there was an unfortunate design incident inspired by Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in Sex and the City.

“I am mortified when I look at our first house,” said Stesha, laughing and recalling a peacock blue formal living room and jewel tones everywhere.

Around 2015, they found their midmod inspiration and haven’t looked back.

“When I went to Palm Springs, I remember my brain being exposed to all this architecture and design that I hadn’t seen much before,” Stesha said. “That was the start for me of a love with midcentury

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tamara white, blue state rising 36x36 in

// photo credit: natalie barrett

modern style.” They came home to their 1950’s house in Dallas and got busy learning how to incorporate it.

“We were living in a midcentury modern and we knew we loved it, but we didn’t know much about the history of the architecture,” Daniel said. “We knew we loved design in general – we just hadn’t found our style until then.”

Their work now possesses the confidence of people who are sitting in that sweet spot of personal comfort with a style and understanding of what will sell.

“We try to stay very current in design and are constantly doing research,” Stesha said, naming some of her favorite designers, like Emily Henderson. “She’s a badass at mixing a modern and more traditional look, and makes it feel warm and homey,” she said.

Some might say the Gearners are hitting “badass” status themselves as they flip and furnish their way through Dallas, one house at a time. eastdallasmodern.net

1 Home Available

Museum Tower 1918 N. Olive Street Dallas, TX 75201 Missy Woehr + Ilene Christ missy.ilene@compass.com M: 214.213.9455

modern

cravings

// the suburban birdhome is a little more spacious than the rest. available at fiveplydesign.com

// jingoo bluetooth speaker available at nashersculpturecenter.org

// midcentury twin palms house tssue box cover available at destination psp original design

your modern

calendar

Modern events and activities make for fall fun around the Metroplex.

Beili Liu The Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas

Barry X Ball: Remaking Sculpture Nasher Sculpture Center

Looking In: Photography from the Outside The Amon Carter Museum of American Art

For a Dreamer of Houses The Dallas Museum of Art

Berruguete Through the Lens: Photographs from a Barcelona Archive The Meadows Museum

Mark Bradford: End Papers Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

jammie holmes Dallas Contemporary

Sandra Cinto: Landscape of a Lifetime The Dallas Museum of Art // through Jan 31, 2021 Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, please confirm availability of viewing these exhibits.

modern

art galleries

Modern art, exhibits, around the Metroplex.

Sarah Hutt + Kathleen Packlick Kirk Hopper Fine Art

Annual Group Show Craighead Green Gallery

Patrick Turk Cris Worley Fine Arts

Back & Forth: Celebrating Woman And Our 15th!

Holly Johnson Gallery

My Corona Group Show Ro2art

Five In Motion Museum of Geometric and MADI Art

A Group Exhibition: A Posteriori Liliana Bloch Gallery

Lindy Chambers Valley House Gallery

Hot & Sweaty: Group Exhibition 500X Gallery // view current shows online or appointments maybe available