Hikes, Applesauce, and Projects…
January 13-27:
These last couple of weeks, I went on a lot of side quests with friends.
I’ve gotten really into making applesauce over wintersession as well. It’s so easy to make and makes the house smell really good, too! I made a really big batch and decided to do a little applesauce delivery service for some of my friends.
My friend Abby and I are working on a collaboration piece together, and I’ve been spending a lot of time working on that as well. She made a linoleum print of filet crochet with a table and chairs. I am making the frame for the piece. I’m doing a hand-sewn lamp and rug, with a wooden frame surrounding it. This piece has been a bit more troublesome than I originally thought, but I’m happy with the progress so far.
Last weekend, I went home with Livia to Gloucester. It was so nice being in a home with dogs. She lives on a marsh just north of Boston, so her home is only an hour and a half away from campus. We spent Saturday exploring the town and going to the beach. In the evening, we went out to dinner with her parents at the restaurant where Livia’s boyfriend works. Sunday morning, I went on a walk with Livia’s dad on the marsh with the dogs. It was so beautiful. Doug told me all about the duck hunting he does on the marsh with his dogs.
When I got home from Gloucester, I met up with some of my jewelry friends for a drink and game night. While we were hanging out, we looked outside and noticed all the snow! So we went outside and had a snowball fight. It was super slippery and cold but a lot of fun!
On Monday, I met Millie for coffee at a new coffee shop just down the street. The coffee shop was just around the corner from our favorite antique store, so of course, we had to stop there to look around. I also love exploring all the corners of that place and finding things I’ve never seen before.
In the evening, Millie and I got back together and made some corn soup for dinner. It was a lovely evening.
On Tuesday, Sophia took the train in, and we worked some more on our bronze plaque. It took 2 hours to melt down the old plaque to recycle the metal into the new one. This time Sophia 3D printed a mold to pack the sand into, to then pour the metal into. This one poured way smoother than the previous one and we only had a few imperfections. We then worked on painting a patina on the background and sanding down the surface. It didn’t turn out exactly how we originally intended, but we are still happy with the outcome.
On Thursday, we visited the special collections in the RISD museum. I have been discussing the works of Ana Mendieta and Francesca Woodman in both of my classes, so it was cool to see those pieces in person. We then did a meditative exercise with the photographs, looking at an image for 10 minutes, noting our thoughts, and staying aware of our body and breathwork in relation to the piece.
On Saturday, Amelia and I went to Jameson’s apartment for a movie day. We built a blanket fort, watched movies, and drew all day. In the afternoon, we went for a walk by the canal and watched the ducks. It was chilly but very beautiful outside.
Sunday, I went to church with a new friend, Brenna. It was nice to be a part of a community outside of RISD for a little bit. Afterward, we grabbed brunch together at the cafeteria. In the afternoon, Kaz and I went for a goat hike. It was held at a local farm, and we hiked with the goats around the farm. We each got a goat on a leash to walk, and it was so much fun! There were also so many cute baby goats that were born earlier in the week.
It’s been a lovely past couple of weeks. I've been hanging out with friends, going on adventures, and working on artwork. I’m just trying to soak up the last few weeks of a slower schedule before I jump back into a packed schedule.
I hope you are staying warm!
Love, Sophia
