sunny strader:
artist!
based in LA + illinois

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sunny strader:
artist!
based in LA + illinois

Charlotte hikes nearly five miles every morning in Runyon Canyon, Hollywood. 2018.

Charlotte applies lipstick at an intersection in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. She was en route to an open house for an apartment. 2018.

Charlotte has her hair dyed blonde by a cosmetology student in West Hollywood. Always trying to save a buck and receive discounts, Charlotte would sit in the salon for up to seven hours as students experimented with her hair. The dye job was $35.

A photograph of rapper T.I. sits in the closet of Charlotte's Hollywood apartment. 2017.

Charlotte and best friend Peter stand for a portrait on the Sunset Strip. 2018.

Charlotte watches a live metal band perform at the Viper Room in West Hollywood. 2018.

Charlotte photographed at age 14, the year before she got pregnant. 1956.

Charlotte, 71, stands for a portrait in her new neighborhood, Marina del Rey. After living out of her friend’s garage for five months, Charlotte managed to lock down a new place

Charlotte tries on shoes at the ‘Out of the Closet’ thrift store in Hollywood. She bought the shoes for $20. She owned more than 100 pairs of shoes. Her son jokingly calls her Imelda Marcos.

Charlotte poses for a photo for her Craig's List ad offering private tours of Los Angeles for $50/hour. 2018.

Charlotte on the landline. Charlotte speaks with an old friend at Edwards-Lowell Furs, the fur vault her friends Jeff and Peter manage in Beverly Hills.

Charlotte's old modeling shots from the 70s and 80s.

Charlotte’s storage unit. Charlotte and dog Odie venture into the storage unit where Charlotte kept her things while she had no apartment and lived in a friend’s garage.

Charlotte looks for a new apartment in Marina del Rey, open house. She moved into the apartment photographed here. The apartment cost $2,800 and her sole source of income comes from Uber driving.

Charlotte’s persistent stomach aches started in October 2018.

Charlotte and her sons, who came in from Reno and Santa Cruz, review her new medications after Charlotte received a stage four cancer diagnosis.

Charlotte flexes her arm and shows off her new port, a device that makes receiving IVs much less painful. 2019.

“I’m not worried because I have the power of positive thought. I know that energy and good thoughts can overcome a lot in this life, Sunny. I’m not praying for a fuckin’ miracle — in fact, I’m not praying at all — but I believe in myself and I think I’ll overcome this,” she said. Photographed at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica during our last lucid meeting.

Charlotte’s best friend Peter poses with the mannequin he dressed in her favorite clothing during the memorial service at Edwards-Lowell Furs, the fur vault her friends managed. Charlotte died on June 29, 2019.

harlotte’s three sons and grandson spread her ashes throughout Runyon Canyon, the place she hiked almost daily before she fell ill.

Charlotte's favorite flower, Birds of Paradise, adorn the walls and doors at her memorial service. 2019.

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