Sunny Mills
Visual Artist
Hi, my name is Sunny Mills. I am an artist who lost my home and art studio in the Eaton fire in Altadena, California on January 8th, 2025. A month and a half later I was gifted a large format camera, and I returned to the remains of my home to make a tintype self-portrait in the ashes before they were gone. Making that image helped me see myself outside of myself, and it allowed me to begin to process what had happened while also giving me a way to reconnect with my art practice.
I offered online to make tintype portraits for my community, and then spent 5 months, from March to July 25’ making over 400 tintypes in the burn zone. I documented individuals, families, and the landscapes that remained in Altadena after the fire.
This project became a dedicated form of service, healing, and remembrance. I worked out of a mobile darkroom in the back of my car, and carefully crafted each photo on the streets of Altadena in the months right after the fire, working alongside dump trucks, water trucks and the Army Corps of Engineers. Doing this project allowed me to hear the life stories and harrowing details about the night of the fire from people in Altadena who lost everything. It became a form of catharsis and personal healing I had never imagined. Each image we made became a way for the community to say: I was here. I endured and I am still standing.
I’m currently working on a book to honor this body of work and the people in it.
Thank you for your support!
Press:
LA TIMES INTERVIEW:
NBC NOW INTERVIEW: