This month we bring you a new blog by Jessica Jane Perkel, who will be sharing with us her postings on contemporary art and design in the Hills.

Beginning with this issue, painter and installation artist Jessica Jane Perkel will share instant reports and images from the local art world through her TO MY EYE blog. She offers a unique take on what’s happening in the Northwest Corner’s contemporary art scene— attending art openings and lectures, diaristically recording what she sees in a primarily visual blog with Instagrammed photographs accompanied by occasional commentary. An engaged member of the arts community here in the hills, Jessica works out of her studio in Bantam, and has participated in several pop-up and guest curated group shows held in the past year. She has, so far, eschewed commercial gallery representation. “I draw, I paint, I make things,” she says. “Using a range of media, my current work explores human, vegetal, and animal production, especially processes that result in the accumulation of similar elements.” A local resident since 1999, Jessica lives in Goshen with her husband, Jason Perkel, a pediatrician (and musician), and their two daughters. She was born in Sydney, Australia, and raised in New York’s Westchester County. She attended Brown University and Sydney University, acquiring a B.A. in English, along with a B.A. in Fine Art (Sculpture and Installation). Pursuing yet another discipline, she earned a Master’s degree in Architecture from Yale University. She has founded, edited, and written for various publications in art and architecture schools, worked as an art handler at the New Orleans Museum of Art, curated shows, wrote art criticism, and did stints at several architectural firms—all giving her the breadth and depth of experience and skill to critically take on just about any medium. Jessica is no stranger to Happenings in the Hills, having previously written stories for the On Our Radar section. The first was an eye-opening account of mid-century modern architecture in Litchfield County and the visionary architects and homeowners who brought modernism to Connecticut. Another was a profile on George Champion and his fabulous mid-century modern furniture shop in Woodbury. Her stories are full of detail for aficionados of the modern and those who simply want a great read. We also ran a story on the Cornwall Bridge Gallery, where Jessica guest curated its first art exhibition, called CARAVAN. She is no longer associated with the gallery but continues independently curating with jane:terzian projects, a new partnership with art consultant Jennifer Terzian. They will be showing the work of internationally exhibited artist Andrzej Zielinski out of a converted studio space in Bantam this September. This show, called Object Possession, opens September 28th in the Bantam Switch Factory. See our Goings On section for more on the show. We’re excited to have Jessica on board, and look forward to her thoughtful takes on the art scene. Follow her on: TO MY EYE For more on Jessica, go to: www.jessjaner.tumblr.com and Jessica Jane on Facebook.